A scientific team has discovered the geological footprint of earthquakes and tsunamis that affected the Aysen region (southern Chile) up to 9,000 years ago. This new study improves the assessment of seismic hazard in a wide area of the American continent prone to large earthquakes.

The new study is a first step forward to improve the evaluation of the seismic hazard in Andean regions [Credit: Universidad de Barcelona]

The study, published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, enabled the researchers to establish the first paleoseismological record of the Liquine-Ofqui Fault Zone (LOFZ), a large geological structure that crosses southern Chile and is partially responsible for the seismic activity of the Andean country.

The LOFZ fracture area, which stretches over more than 1,000 kilometres north-south in Chile, is a geological structure associated with volcanism and that has an impact on the relief of the Andean country. This seismically hazardous area has some active volcanoes –such as Maca, Hudson and Mentolat- and steep reliefs that can enlarge the effects of the most violent geological phenomena.

In this area, Aysen fjord is a model to study geological processes –earthquakes, tsunamis, etc.— that can be a threat to the local population. According to Galderic Lastras, "the Aysen fjord is cross-cut by the strike-slip fault system (LOFZ) that causes local earthquakes, such as the crisis in 2007. The main earthquake of this crisis —magnitude 6.2— caused dozens of landslides and a local tsunami, with some casualties and important damage to fish farms."

"Moreover, this fjord is quite close to the plate boundary between the South American and the Nazca Plates, an active subduction zone that causes large magnitude earthquakes," says Lastras, expert on submarine cartography and head of the oceanographic survey DETSUFA that worked on the cartography of the geological footprint of submarine landslides in Aysen.

Aysen fjord: earthquakes and tsunamis in a natural laboratory

When an earthquake occurs –moderate or strong-, it can destabilize the mountain slopes that surround the fjord. Rock masses can slide and fall until reaching the fjord bottom, causing local tsunamis. This forms an increased risk for the population since there is an extremely short warning time. The geological footprint of these landslides -piled up at the bottom of the fjord and separated by sediments- is then visible in the sedimentary record.

The geological footprints of the last seismic crisis ─April 21, 2007─ are still visible in the Aysén fjord [Credit: G. Lastras]

According to Maarten Van Daele, postdoctoral researcher and expert on sedimentary deposits created by earthquakes, "strong seismic shaking triggers both onshore and subaquatic landslides. These are buried in the fjord and we can image and map them using geophysical methods. In this study, we also retrieved sediment cores, which allowed us to determine ages for the landslide events using radiocarbon dating of organic material in the sediment."

Combining different geophysical techniques —reflection seismics, geochemistry of volcanic ashes, etc.— the scientific team constructed the first paleoseismic record of the Liquine-Ofqui Fault Zone. "For the first time —adds Van Daele— we have a rough idea of earthquake recurrence rates along this fault. Other similar studies are needed along the fault trace, but this is an important first step to improve the assessment of the seismic hazard in the region."

Looking for the most violent seismic episodes

Earthquakes can destabilize fjord slopes and cause landslides, but other factors such as heavy rainfall can also be involved and enhance slope instability. As a result, the experts could identify evidence of ten earthquakes in Aysen fjord –including the most recent one in 2007— but the amount of such earthquake events is probably even higher since not every earthquake will cause a significant landslide.

The study presents the first paleoseismological record of the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault Zone (LOFZ), a geological structure that crosses southern Chile [Credit: University of Barcelona]

According to Katleen Wils, predoctoral researcher at Ghent University and first author of the study, "we know these landslides occurred due to a common trigger: an earthquake. In the Aysen region, the main source of seismic hazard comes from the LOFZ fault rather than the subduction zone. Those earthquakes had intensities similar to those occurring during the 2007 main episode, which was up to IX, corresponding to violent shaking and considerable damage."

"According to the data, six of the analysed earthquake events took place in the fjord during the last 9,000 years, while the other four occurred before that. This shows that there is an important seismic hazard in the region, mainly originating from the LOFZ, but also from the subduction zone," notes Wils, expert on geophysics and the study of earthquakes and seismic hazard.

The number of earthquakes recorded in Aysen fjord may be clear, but "it is more difficult to have a clear idea of their magnitude," warns Galderic Lastras. "One of the identified events has a similar age (about 2,000 years before present) to a tsunami deposit described in the coastal Lake Huelde, in Chiloe Island, and with a turbidite in Lake Rinihue. Identifying signs of an earthquake in different locations far away from each other is a sign of a large magnitude earthquake, which has likely originated in the subduction zone."

According to the authors, their study reveals that LOFZ is an active fault system that should be characterized in more detail in future studies in order to have more knowledge on the complete seismic system.

Paleoseismology: the unwritten history of great earthquakes

The paleoseismological record of Aysen fjord is an important part of the geological history of the region as a written record of past earthquakes in the area is non-existent. Understanding the rate at which earthquakes took place in the past is essential to infer the occurrence of future earthquakes.

Because of this uncertainty, "geological research is an essential tool to explain the unwritten history of the most violent earthquake events that affected a certain area. It is important to know as much as possible about past seismic activity of a region. This means that technology and scientific knowledge are the key to improve the assessment of seismic hazard, mitigate the effects of natural disasters and help society directly," the authors write.

Source: University of Barcelona [March 07, 2018]

Research by conservationists at the University of Kent has found that habitat fragmentation, and the subdivision of large farms into smaller ones, are the biggest threats facing the güiña wildcat in Chile.

Güiña wildcat [Credit: Jerry Laker]

This forest living cat is surprisingly tolerant to deforestation and direct killing by people as retaliation for lost livestock (poultry) is not common, according to findings published today in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

The güiña has been in decline for many years, with its population estimated to be fewer than 10,000 individuals, and it has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996.

The güiña has a reputation for attacking livestock and, therefore, is perceived negatively by rural inhabitants in the region. As a result, it had been assumed that a major threat to the future of the güiña was human persecution, coupled with extensive farming and logging that has seen its habitat reduced by almost 70% since 1970.

However, through a series of questionnaires, camera trap data and remote-sensed images the researchers, led by Nicolas Galvez studying at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), found that the güiña is remarkably adaptable to forest loss.

In particular the team found that large, intensive agricultural areas are actually well suited for the güiña and should not be dismissed as poor quality habitat. This is because there are often unfarmed areas that provide refuge, food resources and suitable conditions for rearing young.

Dr. Nicolas Galvez, now a lecturer at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, commented: "Land subdivision and fragmentation have a far bigger impact on güiña survival. This is because there is a higher risk of human interaction and persecution in areas where there are more farms, a greater pressure on natural resources through increased timber extraction and livestock grazing, and even competition for food from domestic animals kept as pets."

Professor Zoe Davies, from DICE at Kent, said: "Notably, though, while the risk of a güiña being killed by a human is higher in more densely populated farming areas, our questionnaires indicate that only 10% of the rural inhabitants have killed a güiña over the last decade. This suggests that persecution is much less of a threat to their survival than the subdivision of farms."

As a result of this, the researchers suggested that farmers with large properties are key stakeholders in the conservation of this species and must be at the centre of any conservation interventions that aim to protect existing land where the güiña is usually found.

The findings also highlight a framework that can be used to spatially match social and ecological data which could help with conservation efforts for other similar small to medium sized carnivores in other parts of the world. The framework provides a clearer understanding of how habitat loss, land fragmentation and human interactions affect species survival.

Other academic institutions involved in the research were: the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and the university´s Centre for Local Development (CEDEL-UC), University of Melbourne, Bangor University, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany and the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (wildCRU) at University of Oxford.

Author: Sabrina Weiss | Source: British Ecological Society [January 16, 2018]

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Credit: CEFAA / ufosontherecord's channel

This "UFO" observed on infrared video by the Chilean Navy leaving contrails is probably a plane leaving aerodynamic contrails; probably the LA330, which was in the right place, time heading and altitude (20,00ft).

metabunk.org 1-6-17

Based on analysis by @Trailblazer, @Trailspotter, myself, and others, The plane that seems to fit best is LA330, a two engined A320, which was reported to be climbing through 20,000 feet at that exact visual position at 14:01:39. It was actually 65 miles away, not 35-50. This explain why it was not seen on radar (the actual plane was on radar, just not where they thought it was).
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(Credit: CEFAA / ufosontherecord's channel)

The day November 11, 2014, a helicopter of the Chilean Navy (Airbus Cougar AS-532) equipped with a high definition camera infrared FLIR, was patrolling in the area between the port of San Antonio and Quinteros coastal sector the 16.48 UTC, when the camera

By CEFAA 1-6-17

operator official detected an unknown object, flying at a constant speed apparently similar to the helicopter, and moved forward.

The sighting was confirmed visually by the two officers who made up the crew (pilot and camera operator) and lasted more than 10 minutes.

The officers interrogated the air traffic control radar which failed to detect the object.

Nor unknown response received when trying questioning in these cases often willing to transit.

The radar control system FAA failed to capture the object but confirmed in turn, the absence of authorized traffic in the vicinity of the helicopter.

On two occasions, the object seems to cast a trail of something has not been able to pinpoint.

Some analysts have suggested the hypothesis concerned an airliner and medium sized contrails element that follows, it can be reserve water inside the unit, thrown by the crew. However, meteorology states that neither the altitude at which the object or room temperature then moved, allow such type of vapor trail.

The object disappeared disappearing into the clouds.

The Committee for the Study of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena, composed of leading scientists, analysts and aviation technicians after an extensive study of the case, agreed cataloged as UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon)

The CEFAA thank once again the cooperation of all branches of the armed forces and police for their continued cooperation through their respective representatives to the Committee.
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The video depicts two connected white circular lights or hot spots, giving off much heat (Credit: CEFAA / ufosontherecord's channel)

An exceptional nine-minute Navy video of a UFO displaying highly unusual behavior, studied by Chilean authorities for the last two years, is now being released to the public. The CEFAA - the Chilean government agency which investigates UFOs, or UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena), has been in charge of the investigation. Located within the DGAC, the equivalent of our FAA but under the jurisdiction of the Chilean Air Force, CEFAA has committees of military experts, technicians and academics from many disciplines. None of them have been able to explain the strange flying object captured by two experienced Navy officers from a helicopter. [...]

By Leslie Kean The Huffington Post 1-5-17

The technician filmed the object for nine minutes and twelve seconds, mainly in IR. This sensor produces a black and white video in which the black, white and grey tones are directly related to temperature. IR detects heat, and the hotter the material being filmed, the darker it appears on the image. The officers stopped the camera when they had to return to the base and the object disappeared behind the clouds.
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"Glowing orbs would land on the foothills and the summits, bizarre entities had been seen wandering the dust-choked roads, and there appeared to be seasonality to these events, with the months of April and July being the ones in which sightings and landings were more frequent."

To call them ufonauts would evoke unwanted associations with the long-haired, blonde entities of the Adamskian tradition or the Greys that peppered UFO research in the 1990s. In some cases there is no structured craft suggesting an interplanetary origin or even a actinic light that conjures up a paranormal provenance. “Things” appear to unchain a series of events in unsuspecting communities having absolutely no interest in matters involving ufology or even the human space age, now receding into the past as civilization chooses to journey inward. Time and distance separate us from some of these events in such a

By Scott Corrales Inexplicata 10-15-16

way that it is quite understandable how contemporary researchers would feel more comfortable dismissing them as rumor, journalistic exaggeration or outright hoax. Publishing pictures of lights in the sky is far more satisfying, of course.

Nevertheless, I feel these cases deserve their day in court, despite the inability to put the events -- or their witnesses -- on the stand.

A very important book was lost among the raging storms of UFO controversy in the abductions-or-nothing mid-90s. A distinguished author, Chile’s Jorge Anfruns, had published Extraterrestres en Chile, a compelling summary of his country’s extensive UFO and high strangeness history, told in an engaging first person style. Anfruns did not shy away from the requisite abduction experiences, which were truly mind-bending, but other cases were just as intriguing. In particular, a 1987 visit by the Chilean author to neighboring Bolivia, high up in the Andean Plateau, where he met up with fellow investigator Pedro Araneda, who brought him up to speed on a series of strange events that took place along the border between their respective nations.

As it so happened, a luminous object descended out of the dark, starry Andean night while members of the Aymara native community slept. Their uneventful hours of rest were broken by the intensity of the unknown light, and by the more disturbing sight of strange people wandering the streets of their village. Not given to confrontation, the locals decided to bar their doors and wait for daylight before taking action.

The morning sun would bring with it the alarming news that the ‘strangers’ had tried to abduct a teenage shepherdess. Her would-be captors were described as tall, robust individuals with long blond hair clad in glowing outfits. The shock was such that the girl died of a heart attack.

Araneda continued with his story. While peaceful, the locals decided that defense against these intruders was of the essence. On successive nights, the unknown characters tried breaking into homes, battering the doors. The locals – who earned their living from mining – had dynamite available and weren’t afraid to use it. Throwing sticks of explosive (“tiros de dinamita”, in the original) convinced the attackers that the village was able and willing to defend itself from these attacks, causing them to withdraw.

The situation went on for more than a week until the Bolivian press and radio began spreading the word about the strange situation. An Aymara delegation went to La Paz, the nation’s capital, to press their case, requesting government involvement in the matter.

It emerged – writes Anfruns in his book – that the Andean natives had long been aware of these lights and entities. Glowing orbs would land on the foothills and the summits, bizarre entities had been seen wandering the dust-choked roads, and there appeared to be seasonality to these events, with the months of April and July being the ones in which sightings and landings were more frequent.

The beings didn’t always share the same morphology. When prompted for a description, Araneda told Anfruns: “[These beings] are completely different from them [the natives], being thin, small, large-headed, helmeted, with large, shiny, black eyes like plums. People know there’s stuff going up there, but Aymaras aren’t given to talking about them.” (Extraterrestres en Chile, p. 81).

Whether the government listened to the native villagers’ plea for assistance isn’t reported. Bolivia has had an extensive history of UFO experiences and the higher echelons of their military probably had a good idea of what it was up against.

Communities elsewhere have been besieged by UFOs, much like the Brazilian community of Colhares, a case described in detail in Jacques Vallée’s Confrontations and in even more detail in Vampiros Extraterrestres Na Amazonia by Daniel Rebisso Giese, books recommended to the interested reader. I will briefly summarize it here: Colhares, near the city of Belem, across from the isle of Marajó, which forms part of the Amazon Delta, found its placid tropical existence shattered by manifestations of still-unexplained, boxlike machines knows as "chupas" firing beams of white light against townspeople. Aside from the corresponding burn, victims of these roving devices would experience lassitude and blackouts. People were afraid to go outdoors after sundown, taking to firing weapons into the air in the vain hope of chasing the intruders away, while the unknown's mantle of fear enshrouded the community. Unlike the Bolivian situation, the Brazilian military responded in force with Operação Prato (Project Saucer)

Anfruns moves on to an even more disturbing story which can understandably be dismissed as anecdotal, as no names or dates are given due to the highly sensitive nature of the event. It took place “at some point along the Chilean, Bolivian or perhaps Peruvian borders, which I have no intention to recall,” he writes.

A detachment of police officers on horseback – the only way to get around in the mountainous terrain – was proceeding down the gorge known as Quebrada de las Bandurrias (two different ones appear on the map, the northernmost at 28°08′52″S 70°59′52″W, but nowhere near the border. Possibly a third gorge of the same name?). The five riders, as tired and thirsty as their mounts, suddenly became aware of something ‘resembling a silvery house’ farther down the canyon. The lieutenant in charge of the small detachment realized that they must have come across the lair of a notorious band of fur smugglers – dealing in valuable vicuña skins – that operated in the area. He ordered his men to fan out as quietly as possible. One of the policemen dismounted, picked up a rock, and threw it against the silvery structure, causing its occupants to emerge and take up defensive positions. At this point, the lieutenant ordered his men to open fire.

“This,” the author goes on to say, “was the start of the most uneven fight of the century.”

The bullets streaming from the policemens firearms were met with bright beams of cohered light, able to “pierce their targets and split them open like cauliflowers” (p. 105). The patrol’s horses made the easiest targets. One of the long-suffering mounts burst from the inside out. A member of the patrol was felled by another such beam, leaving a devastating wound on his chest. Retreat being the only alternative, the lieutenant and the survivors made their way back to headquarters, reaching it two days later and delivering a full report on the situation. A larger, heavily equipped response force subsequently arrived at the Andean gorge, finding no trace of the silvery “shack”, but ascertaining that traces of horse blood were indeed on the sand. The bodies of the fallen police officers were also gone.

Can we believe such a story? Was a simple but tragic encounter between law enforcement and fur smugglers grotesquely embellished with elements worthy of an old pulp magazine? There’s no way of telling.

There can be no question, however, that law enforcement comes across bizarre situations, even closer to home than they would like. In August 1995, police officer José Collazo became the unwilling protagonist in a highly-dramatic scene involving the enigmatic creature popularly known as the Chupacabras. Collazo spoke at length with Spanish journalist Magdalena del Amo regarding his harrowing experience.

According to Collazo, he and his wife were getting ready for bed at around 11:00 p.m. one night when they suddenly heard the alarm on their car go off. Suspecting a thief, Collazo picked up his service revolver and went out to his carport, where he was confronted by a surrealistic scene: his pet Chow dog was engaged in a losing battle with what he first took to be another dog sinking its fangs into the Chow's back. According to Collazo, he soon realized that the intruder was not a dog -- in fact, not even a creature of this world.

The officer felt himself engulfed in fear for his own life. He aimed his .357 Magnum against the unknown creature and fired a sure shot at it. The creature "rolled up into a ball," Collazo explained, and bounced off one of the carport walls before disappearing out the back into the warm night air.

During the course of an interview with Spanish journalist Magdalena del Amo, the policeman observed that concern for his car kept him from firing further shots at the intruder. Nonetheless, the creature left patches of thick fur on the carport floor and traces of blood on the wall. It also left a noxious odor which persisted for well over a week, resisting all efforts to eliminate through the use of assorted detergents.
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