https://phys.org/news/2018-11-white-line-algae-deaths-uplift.html

There are fewer records of more moderate earthquakes in the region, so "precisely quantifying the amount and distribution of slip in 2016 therefore helps us to understand the characteristics of these smaller events. This information helps us to better assess how faults accumulate and release strain during sequences of ruptures of different magnitudes," said Garrett.

"Such insights in turn assist with efforts to assess future seismic hazards," he added. "While the 2016 earthquake occurred in a sparsely populated region, similar major earthquakes on the Chilean Subduction Zone could pose significant hazards to more populous regions in the future."