City Of Maracaibo Research Articles

Electric shortages and mental health in Maracaibo, Venezuela: A cross-sectional study.

For the past 10 years, Venezuela has undergone a severe electric crisis. However, not all regions have been equally affected. The city of Maracaibo has endured more blackouts than other cities, and they have now become routine. This article sought to study the impact of electric shortages on the mental health of Maracaibo's inhabitants. Using a sample from all districts in the city, the study sought to test if there are correlations between the number of hours without electricity (per week), and four dimensions of mental health: anxiety, depression, poor sleep quality, and boredom. Results came out showing that there are moderate correlations across all four variables.

Research on aging during the Venezuelan humanitarian crisis: the experience of the Maracaibo aging study

BackgroundVenezuela is in the throes of a complex humanitarian crisis that is one of the worst in decades to impact any country outside of wartime. This case analysis describes the challenges faced by the ongoing Maracaibo Aging Study (MAS) during the deteriorating conditions in Venezuela. When the MAS began in 1997, it focused on memory-related disorders. Since then, strategic planning and proactive community participation allowed us to anticipate and address logistical, funding, and ethical challenges, and facilitated the enrollment and retention of more than 2500 subjects over 55 years of age. All participants, who are residents of the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela, underwent various assessments on several occasions. Here, we discuss how our approach to implementing a longitudinal, population-based study of age-related conditions has allowed our research program to continue throughout this period of political, economic, and social upheaval.DiscussionAs the social context in Venezuela became more complicated, new challenges emerged, and strategies to sustain the study and participation were refined. We identified five main mechanisms through which the evolving humanitarian crisis has affected implementation of the MAS: 1) community dynamics; 2) morale of researchers, staff, and participants; 3) financial feasibility; 4) components of the research process; and 5) impact on the health of staff, participants, and their families. Strategies to compensate for the impact on these components were implemented, based on inputs from community members and staff. Improved communication, greater involvement of stakeholders, broadening the scope of the project, and strengthening international collaboration have been the most useful strategies. Particular demands emerged, related to the increased mortality and comorbidities of participants and staff, and deterioration of basic services and safety.ConclusionAlthough the MAS has faced numerous obstacles, it has been possible to continue a longitudinal research project throughout the humanitarian crisis, because our research team has engaged the community deeply and developed a sense of mutual commitment, and also because our project has provided funding to help keep researchers employed, somewhat attenuating the brain drain.

Medios electrónicos y estado nutricional antropométrico en escolares

A partir de la primera infancia pueden surgir modificaciones en las conductas y formas comportamentales, es decir, de actividades recreativas intensas a actividades mínimas o ligeras como mirar equipos o medios electrónicos, así como dispositivos móviles. Desde esta premisa el artículo se orienta a evaluar el uso de medios electrónicos y el estado nutricional antropométrico en estudiantes en edad escolar. Se realizó una investigación descriptiva, transeccional y de campo a una población de 120 escolares entre 7 y 12 años de un colegio privado de la ciudad de Maracaibo (Zulia, Venezuela), los cuales recibieron evaluación antropométrica, y se les aplicó un cuestionario estructurado para conocer sus percepciones en torno al uso de los medios electrónicos. La información fue procesada mediante estadística descriptiva. Los resultados evidencian en los niños valores que describen un estado antropométrico normal; así mismo, se identifican como medios electrónicos más utilizados el televisor y el computador; se concluye en la importancia de reconocer la idea de que el entorno digital y la dependencia de equipos electrónicos forman parte de la vida y la cotidianidad de los niños.

El acoso moral. Tipos, características y factores de riesgo en el contexto organizacional

La investigación buscó analizar el acoso moral en el contexto organizacional desde la disciplina de la orientación. Se llevó a cabo en la sede administrativa de una cadena de supermercado/tienda por departamento de la ciudad de Maracaibo. Fue un estudio descriptivo, de campo, con diseño no experimental, transeccional. La población fue censal, conformada por 43 empleados. Se utilizó un cuestionario validado por juicio de expertos con un índice de confiabilidad según Coeficiente Alfa Cronbach de 0,853. En los resultados no se evidencia alto porcentaje de comportamientos que constituyen acoso laboral y cuando se presentan, el autor del hostigamiento principalmente es el supervisor. El perfil de las características de personalidad que favorecen situaciones de acoso laboral, se ubica en categoría media para el acosador y baja para el acosado. Sobre los factores generadores de riesgo de acoso, se encuentran en categoría alta la ausencia de interés, apoyo y relación con los supervisores. Las estrategias de afrontamiento ante el acoso, están en la categoría media, a excepción de la confrontación que estuvo en categoría baja. Se concluye que el acoso laboral es un fenómeno que daña psicológicamente al empleado y afecta la integridad del trabajador.

Estrategias de enseñanza utilizadas en clases de evolución biológica

Las estrategias de enseñanza utilizadas por docentes en las clases de biología para que aprendan los estudiantes son diversas, desde las recomendadas para promover las habilidades cognitivas hasta aquellas que ayudan a comprender los fenómenos naturales. Para el desarrollo de este trabajo, se consideraron las estrategias de enseñanza propuestas por Díaz y Hernández (2002). La investigación tiene un alcance descriptivo. Además, el objetivo específico es identificar las estrategias utilizadas en las clases de evolución biológica por los docentes, ubicados en la ciudad de Maracaibo (Venezuela). Se utilizó el muestreo no probabilístico de tipo por conveniencia, constituida por un total de 24 docentes, que laboran en colegio de media general del sector privado ubicados en la parroquia de Juana de Ávila específicamente en la zona norte de Maracaibo, para los puntos: Avenida Fuerzas Armadas, Milagro norte y Urbanización la Trinidad, tomados en cuenta bajo los siguientes criterios: licenciatura de Educación Mención Biología, localizados en la ciudad de Maracaibo (Venezuela), activos en la labor pedagógica y con un mínimo de dos años de experiencia impartiendo clases de evolución biológica en la materia de Biología a nivel de media general. La técnica utilizada para la recolección de los datos fue una encuesta; empleando el instrumento con escala de estimación, con cuatro alternativas de respuestas. Las ilustraciones y las preguntan intercaladas, tuvieron el mayor porcentaje para la opción Siempre y las gráficas presentaron el mayor porcentaje para la opción Nunca y con una media aritmética más baja.

Organizational Behavior in SME-Family Companies in the City of Maracaibo, Venezuela

Objectives: The purpose of this article is to analyze the SME-family businesses organizational behavior in the city of Maracaibo. Materials and Methods: The research type was descriptive, with no experimental, transectional, field design. The population consisted of eleven (11) managers and seventy-five (75) employees. The information was collected with a questionnaire with forty-two (42) reagents, validated by experts and with an Alfa Cronbach reliability of 0.826. The results analysis was descriptive with arithmetic frequencies distribution and means percentage. Results: The organizational behavior within the SME-Familiar companies is not adequate, characterized by a bureaucratic design, with a centralized authority, making it difficult to develop innovative activities that favor a work environment oriented towards the organizational objectives achievement. Application/Improvements: To improve the situation observed through the adoption of an organizational matrix-type design oriented to the authority decentralization, thereby improving the personnel supervision and the organizational objectives achievement.

El espacio urbano ‘calle’ a través de la mirada del paisaje sonoro. Una propuesta metodológica

El artículo presenta la metodología de análisis de la calle a partir del paisaje sonoro, llevada a cabo en la ciudad de Maracaibo -Venezuela. Su método se orienta desde la fenomenología y la psicoacústica, y en él se abordan dos fases: la mirada de la imagen y la escucha, que se registra través de la técnica del paseo sonoro, de la interpretación de los espectrogramas y de las encuestas. Como resultado de esto surge una visión multidimensional del espacio que permite caracterizar las diferencias del paisaje desde el ambiente sonoro, expresando relaciones de nitidez o claridad con los niveles de legibilidad de la imagen urbana.

Historia regional de Maracaibo: evolución morfológica del casco central

Resumen: Este artículo aborda el impacto de la historia regional, caracterizada por el circuito agroexportador de 1830-1860 como el motor de las dinámicas urbanas, siendo sustituida en 1926 por el petróleo, comienza a generar una gran renovación urbana del casco central. El objetivo principal es definir la evolución morfológica del caso central durante el proceso histórico local. La estrategia investigativa es descriptiva y analítica, de enfoque fenomenológico y combina teoría y práctica urbanísticas. El resultado origina otra manera de aplicar la hermenéutica de las dinámicas que influyeron en la morfología urbana, generando nuevas ideas para el mejoramiento de la planificación de la ciudad de Maracaibo.
 ___Palabras clave: historia regional, morfología urbana, dinámicas urbanas, cuadrículas urbanas.
 ___Abstract: This article discusses the impact of regional history, characterized by the 1830-1860 agricultural export circuit as the engine of urban dynamics. Replaced in 1926 by the oil, it begins to generate a large urban renewal of the central hull. The main objective is to define the morphological evolution of the central hull during the local historical process. The research strategy is descriptive and analytical, with a phenomenological approach combines urban planning theory and practice. The result creates another way to apply the hermeneutics of the dynamics that influenced the urban morphology, and generated new ideas for improving the planning of the city of Maracaibo.
 ___Keywords: regional history, urban morphology, urban dynamics, urban squares.
 ___Recibido: 30 de marzo de 2015. Aceptado: 01 de julio de 2015.

Genetic variation of 15 STR autosomal loci in the Maracaibo population from Venezuela

Allele frequencies for 15 short tandem repeats (STRs) autosomal loci (D8S1179, D21S11, D7S820, CSF1PO, D3S1358, TH01, D13S317, D16S539, D2S1338, D19S433, vWA, TPOX, D18S51, D5S818 and FGA, included in the AmpFLSTR Identifiler, Applied Biosystems) were studied in the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela and were compared with other published Latin-American populations for the same loci. Population and forensic parameters were estimated.

Seismic facies analysis based on 3D multiattribute volume classification, La Palma Field, Maracaibo, Venezuela

La Palma Field, in the southwest corner of Maracaibo Basin (Zulia State, Venezuela) approximately 300 km south of the city of Maracaibo, is in a license block called Colon Unit (Figure 1). The field is operated by Tecpetrol (Argentina), which leads a consortium of three oil companies that also includes CMS Oil & Gas (U.S.) and Coparex (France).

Primary care and alcohol use disorders: evaluation of a faculty-development program in Venezuela

Primary care offers an opportunity to identify and treat persons who drink alcohol above permissible levels. In order to prepare primary care practitioners around the world to prevent and treat alcohol-related problems, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the United States of America has developed and tested a model international program for educating physicians about such problems. The model was designed to increase the clinical, teaching, and research skills of medical school faculty who work with medical students, residents, and primary care physicians. Venezuela was one of the countries selected for the initiative. During September 1999 a five-day faculty-development course consisting of 19 workshops was conducted at the University of Zulia, which is located in the city of Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela. Teaching strategies included class presentations, role plays, case presentations, skills-building workshops, and having each participant develop a teaching plan that he or she would use. Thirty-three faculty members from 9 of Venezuela's 10 medical schools participated in the project. The 18 female and 15 male participants had an average age of 44 years. The areas of specialization of the 33 participants were: family medicine (9 participants), psychiatry (7), pediatrics (6), obstetrics (4), internal medicine (3), and unspecified (4). Of the 33 participants, 25 of them (76%) completed a six-month follow-up interview. This group said they had significantly increased their competence in 14 clinical areas and that they had successfully implemented new teaching activities within their respective medical schools and residency programs. This model proved to be an effective strategy for increasing training for physicians in the prevention and treatment of alcohol-related problems in Venezuela. The evaluation confirms similar findings in other countries where the program has been implemented.

The Maracaibo Aging Study: Population and Methodological Issues

The Maracaibo Aging Study is a longitudinal, population-based, one-step multidisciplinary study of age-related diseases, with a particular focus on memory-related disorders, among subjects over 55 years living in a neighborhood of the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela. Three phases were scheduled for this study. First, a door-to-door survey was conducted in order to build a registry and to obtain general and sociodemographic characteristics. During the second phase, information regarding changes in the abilities of the subjects was collected. The third phase consisted of a full neuropsychiatric examination, cardiovascular evaluation, nutritional assessment, neuropsychological testing, routine laboratory tests and genetic analysis. 3,657 subjects were surveyed between January and August, 1998. There were more women than men, and the average number of years of formal education was low, particularly among women. The limitations and strengths of the study are discussed.

Isolated systolic hypertension: a new challenge in medicine

In the elderly, isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) is a particularly good predictor of subsequent cardiovascular events. The purpose of this article is to review the evidence provided by the Systolic Hypertension Elderly Program (SHEP) and the Systolic Hypertension in Europe Study (Syst-Eur) on the benefits of lowering systolic blood pressure (SBP) and to report on the preliminary findings of the Maracaibo Aging Study (MAS) on ISH. These two trials, the SHEP using chlorthalidone and atenolol as step 2 and the Syst-Eur using nitrendipine and hydrochlorothyazide as step 2, demonstrated a decrease of more than 30% for all cardiovascular complications, including stroke and coronary events. MAS is a population-based study that included all the subjects older than 55 years of age that resided in a defined area of the city of Maracaibo. There was a high prevalence of ISH (45.7%) being higher among women than in men, and significantly increased with advancing age. SBP was associated with dementia when it was measured by an ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABPM), while there was no association when it was assessed by the casual method. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) as casual or measured by ABPM was not related to dementia. In conclusion, ISH is a serious public health problem and benefits from lowering elevated SBP to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. It was shown there was a strong correlation between high SBP and cognitive dysfunction and this was best demonstrated by using ABPM. Research should address the impact of using modern diagnostic tools and to compare the efficacy of the different types of antihypertensive drugs.

Gómez y gomecismo en el Zulia (1928–1937)

Like students of the porfiriato in Mexico, Venezuelan scholars have struggled to analyze signs of resistance to the long dictatorships of Cipriano Castro (1899–1908) and Juan Vicente Gómez (1908-1935). Also like the Mexicanists, Venezuelan revisionists want to move the spotlight away from the capital city in order to highlight the nature of regional issues. The center of opposition to the Gómez regime, according to historiography and political legend, was Caracas, especially the student revolt of 1928 with the participation of Rómulo Betancourt and other founders of Acción Democrática. Urdaneta suggests that the standard view should be augmented by a consideration of resistance in the petroleum-rich state of Zulia between 1928 and 1937.Citing a number of groups that provided a somewhat tenuous cover for clandestine organization, Urdaneta lists numerous progressive individuals who were associated with spiritists, Masons, and the literary group Seremos and other publications. Unfortunately, little information is provided on any of the participants except for relatively well-known figures like Valmore Rodríguez, Isidro Valles, and communist activists Rodolfo Quintero, Olga Luzardo, and Juan Bautista Fuen-mayor. The church in Zulia, headed by Archbishop Marcos Sergio Godoy, staunchly defended gomecismo and collaborated with the dictatorship to harass the progressives as subversives.After Gómez’s death in December 1935, Maracaibo and the petroleum zone erupted into demonstrations and strikes, resulting in considerable property damage. The years 1936 and 1937 saw bitter political confrontations between those who hoped to see the birth of a socialist democracy (especially Rodríguez and the Bloque Nacional Democrático—BND) and those who resisted change. Urdaneta argues that the organized political activity after Gómez’s death amply demonstrated the vitality of the clandestine activity in the early 1930s.The paucity of direct sources on the clandestine resistance weakens her argument. In addition to a few archival documents, newspapers (heavily censored), and published histories and memoirs, Urdaneta cites four interviews of participants from the period, but their revelations were unexceptional. Thus, a few editors, journalists, and communist organizers remain at center stage, as does the city of Maracaibo. There are references to strikes and activity in the petroleum zone, but little significant analysis. Especially for one who is familiar with Venezuelan political history, there is little new here except for some of the lists of names of local citizens who may have been active in some clandestine resistance.The book derives from Urdaneta’s master’s thesis at the University of Zulia, where she is an associate professor affiliated with the Centro de Estudios Históricos. Her work forms part of the Centro’s project to trace Zulia’s role in the nine-teenth and twentieth century formation and consolidation of the Venezuelan state and nation.

Estimaciones de la prevalencia del trastorno por déficit de atención-hiperactividad en niños marabinos

This study reports the findings of research aimed at determining the rate of prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children of school age. The epidemiological study was conducted using a community sample extracted by means of multi stage stratified sampling according to socio economic level and schooling and consisted in 1,141 children of both sexes of school age from the city of Maracaibo. The revised Conners scales were used to collect data. The estimated prevalence of ADHD was 7.19% and we also obtained 0.35% for the hyperactive type, 1.14% for the disattentional subtype, and 5.70% for the combined type. Contrary to what was expected, prevalence was higher for females. It was found that 7.45% of the general sample scored higher on the academic problems scales, whereas for the sample identified as having ADHD, academic problems were 50% and the comorbidity between ADHD and academic problems was confirmed. The estimates for prevalence found in this study are consistent with those reported in the literature, which suggests that ADHD is a valid diagnosis for Marabino children.

A preliminary evaluation of turbidity removal by natural coagulants indigenous to Venezuela

The ability of two plant materials, Cactus latifaria and the seeds of Prosopis juliflora, to act as natural coagulants was tested using a synthetic water formulated to resemble the drinking water supplied to the city of Maracaibo. Turbidity was added as kaolin. The coagulation ability of the two materials was assessed by the use of standard jar test measurements. Both materials produced comparable turbidity removals and were able to produce a final water whose turbidity was close to the required standard of 5NTU with both high (100–200 NTU) and low (30–40 NTU) initial turbidities. This was comparable with the performance achieved by previous workers using Moringa oleifera extracts. The optimum coagulant dose was found to be lower than that for aluminium sulphate. Treatment of the raw vegetable solids with solvents produced coagulants which, in some cases, were different from the raw materials and suggested that non-polar material might be involved with the coagulation process.

Nitrogen cycling rates and light effects in tropical Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela

Isotope dilution experiments with 15NH4+ were conducted in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, to examine potential N turnover rates and light effects and to examine the hypothesis that nutrient dynamics are biologically driven in this tropical, hypcreutrophic lake. Ammonium and nitrate concentrations were both <l µM as compared to particulate N concentrations of 9–29 µM N. Chlorophyll (Chl) levels ranged from 2.5 to 22 µg liter−1. Numbers and biomass of bacteria ranged from 1.0 to 9.1 × l06 cells ml−1 and 45 to 138 µg C liter−1 and those of heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNAN) ranged from 0.5 to 3.5 × 103 cells ml−1 and 2.3 to 17.5 µg C liter−1, respectively. Highest Chl concentration and microbial abundance occurred in a region affected by sewage discharge from the city of Maracaibo. Potential ammonium uptake rates in near‐surface waters ranged from about 1 µM h−1 to 8 µM h−1. Chlspecific uptake rates were highest in central regions that were dominated by chroococcoid cyanobacteria. Ammonium regeneration rates ranged from near detection to 2 µM h−1 and correlated significantly with the ratio of HNAN to bacterial biomass, likely reflecting the degree of bacterivory. The high ratio of potential turnover rates to ambient ammonium concentrations suggests that internal recycling is a major nutrient supply process in the lake. Incubation bottle characteristics (e.g., light intensity, spectral quality, or possibly headspace differences) apparently affected potential uptake rates, which were relatively low in polystyrene bottles and in quartz tubes. Uptake rates were lower in screened polystyrene bottles than in screened polypropylene syringes, with different spectral characteristics, even though total‐light attenuation was similar (45% vs. 53%).

Inorganic water soluble ions in atmospheric particles over Maracaibo Lake Basin in the western region of Venezuela

The concentration of nine water soluble ions in aerosol samples on cellulose filters collected by a high-volume cascade impactor was determined for two rural sites in Venezuela. Total suspended particles show a similar size distribution both dry and rainy seasons (MMDs∼2.5 μm). The inorganic water soluble ions are ∼30% by mass of the TSP, from which, S0 4–Cl–NH 4 represent ∼80%, and sulphate accounts for ∼50%. An important enrichment respect to marine aerosols (≫40%) was observed in the sequence: Cl −<Mg 2+<SO 4 2−<Ca 2+<K +. The substantially high non-sea-salt Cl − contrast with the considerable deficit of Cl − found in other savannah regions of Venezuela where this ion has a mainly marine origin. Several ions have similar mass median diameter: SO 4 2− and NH 4 + (MMDs∼0.7 μm); Na +, Cl − and Mg 2+ (MMDs∼3.6 μm); K + and NO 3 − (MMDs∼2.5 μm), which held for both dry and rainy seasons. NH 4 + and SO 4 2− species are confined to the fine fraction <1.5 μm, which represent ∼85% of the total atmospheric concentration, and the larger amount of them is associated with particles <0.49 μm. Water soluble particles have higher concentrations of inorganic ions than those observed in other regions of Venezuelan savannah, where important vegetation burning occurs during the year. Substantially higher differences are observed in SO 4 2−, Ca 2+, NH 4 + and Cl − which can be up to 28; 7; 7 and 5 times higher, respectively. In general, the results indicate that in Maracaibo Lake Basin, large agricultural and natural vegetation areas are probably affected by up wind anthropogenic sources as Oil and Petrochemical industry and the city of Maracaibo with medium size industries; and that in this region, the atmosphere is not significantly polluted by emissions from burnt vegetation.

Determination by ion chromatography of selected organic and inorganic acids in rainwater at Maracaibo, Venezuela

Chemically suppressed ion chromatography with a Dionex Model 2000i/sp, IonPac AS11, IonPac AG11, ASRS-I system was used for the analysis of major organic and inorganic acids in precipitation samples collected in the city of Maracaibo during a one-year period. Two different isocratic methods were used. First, inorganic (sulfuric, nitric and hydrochloric) acids were adequately determined by using 21 m M NaOH as eluent. Second, organic (formic and acetic) and hydrofluoric acids were determined by using 0.5 m M NaOH as eluent; however, occasional poor resolution of acetic and hydrofluoric acid peaks were obtained. The methods showed good reproducibility (R.S.D. ca. 5%) for primary inorganic anions plus formate and relatively poor reproducibility (R.S.D. ca. 15%) for fluoride plus acetate. In the Maracaibo rainwater system, the concentrations of the typical urban pollutants (SO 4 *, NO 3 −, Cl *, H +) are significantly larger than those found in Caracas precipitation, suggesting that Maracaibo is affected to a greater extent by air pollution. NO 3 − and Cl − dominated the anionic composition. About 92% (as SO 4 *) and 50% (as Cl *) of the total each ion concentration was represented by non-marine-derived species. Organic and inorganic anion balances showed that potential acid rain (volume–weighted average pH=5.35) in Maracaibo is mainly caused (ca. 90%) by sulfuric, nitric and hydrochloric acids. Only about 4% of the original acidity of the rainwater was found to be free acidity, indicating a high degree of neutralization in the Maracaibo precipitation.

Paleoseismicity studies on the Oca-Ancón fault system, northwestern Venezuela

The E-W-trending, right-lateral Oca-Ancón fault system extends eastward for 650 km, from the Colombian Caribbean coast near the city of Santa Marta to the town of Boca de Aroa (located on the eastern coast of Falcón State, northwestern Venezuela), across the Goajira peninsula, the outlet of Lake Maracaibo, the coastal plains of Buchivacoa and the central Falcón range. This system is very conspicuous west of the city of Maracaibo where its single trace sharply truncates the northern ends of the Santa Marta block and the Perijá range. Fault-related landforms along the system trace (e.g., displaced beach strandlines at Sinamaica and fault scarplets in the Buchivacoa plains) suggest that it may have been active during Holocene times. A first trenching attempt carried out north of Maracaibo (at Sinamaica) in 1969 only confirmed its Holocene tectonic activity. On the western coastal plains of Falcón State and east of Lake Maracaibo, the system is less simple as it is composed of two parallel fault strands but they are clearly evidenced by Holocene paleoseismic scarplets. Recently, this system has been paleoseismically evaluated by means of two trenches placed across each of the two parallel branches known as the Oca and the Ancón faults. Dimensions of these bulldozer-dug trenches are 80 m long and 8 m deep. Various lines of evidence obtained from these exploratory trenches indicate that: (a) three surface rupture events, dated slightly prior to 7755 ± 320, 6240 ± 39 and 1945 ± 630 yr B.P., have occurred along the Oca fault; (b) one surface rupture event has occurred within the past 3125 ± 185 yr on the Ancón fault; (c) the Holocene slip rate of the system is close to 2 mm/yr; and (d) either of the faults can generate a maximum event of magnitude 7.4–7.5 Recurrence of such earthquakes on the Ancón fault is close to 1900 years while it is about 4300 years on the Oca fault.