Located between the Mapocho and Maipo rivers, this seismic zone covers about 50 kilometers and crosses the communes of Vitacura, Las Condes, La Reina, Peñalolén, La Florida and Puente Alto.

According to experts, quoted by the Meganoticias site, its activation would cause a type of earthquakes, with a vertical plate movement very close to the surface. These earthquakes can have a surface rupture of about five meters, which would cause serious damage to structures that are located just above, said the professor of geology at the University of Chile, Gabriel Easton.

Currently, 55 percent of the fault is built and there is 45 percent of the area with pressure for urbanization, explained Carolina Rojas, a professor at the Institute of Urban Studies. At the moment there is no regulation for construction in this strip and experts advocate declaring the area as one of environmental protection.

ef/mv/char