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Peru is situated along the boundary of two tectonic plates: the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate. The interface between these two plates is located near the Peruvian coast. At a rate of about 60 mm per year the South American Plate is moving towards the Pacific Ocean over the Nazca Plate. That may not sound a lot but it is enough to put huge strain on the Earth's crust. The pressures are periodically released through earthquakes. The subduction of the Nazca Plate caused millions of years ago the rise of the Andes Mountains, the creation of the Peru-Chile Trench and the volcanism in the Peruvian highlands. Until today this process continues and causes a number of geodynamic processes.
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