In addition, the volcano features persistent seismic activity with occasional bursts of higher activity; about three or four earthquakes occur every day at the volcano, and seismic swarms lasting minutes to hours with up to 60 earthquakes occur several times per month. The intensities of the earthquakes reach . Most of this seismic activity occurs below the summit of Uturuncu around sea level and some earthquakes appear to relate to the northwest-southeast tectonic trend of the region although swarms occur in several areal clusters. Whether there are long-term trends in seismic activity is difficult to estimate as the detection and reconnaissance techniques of seismic activity at Uturuncu have changed over time. This amount of seismic activity is large when compared to neighbouring volcanoes and the seismic activity may be a consequence of the deformation, as intruding magma pressurizes and destabilizes local faults, with further triggering possible by large earthquakes such as the 2010 Maule earthquake which triggered an intense seismic swarm in February 2010.