At least 8 people are dead and a million people have been displaced because of a massive magnitude 8.3 earthquake in Chile.
Violent aftershocks continue to shake the ground around Santiago and surrounding towns. Residents were preparing for the possibility of a second strong quake although the tsunami warnings have ended for the region.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) says the quake struck around 6:45 p.m., 29 miles west of the capital in a small city of Illapel. The USGS reported the quake was the strongest to hit the region in 100 years.
Aftershocks of 6.3 and 6.4 have been recorded by the USGS. A tsunami watch was issued for both California and Hawaii because of the quakes, although they were later retracted. Residents are still being warned to watch for high waves and significant rip tides.
Chile is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world because of two major plates connecting just off the coastline. The strongest recorded quake in world history took place in the nation in 1960, magnitude 9.5.
A TIDE GAUGE off the shore of Coquimbo, a Chilean seaside city less than 100 miles from the epicenter of tonight’s 8.3 moment magnitude earthquake, has logged wave heights in excess of 14 feet. This comes about 90 minutes after the quake struck at 7:54pm local time.
NOAA’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has predicted wave heights exceeding 36 feet along the Chilean coast, and smaller events elsewhere in the Pacific. Outside of Chile, French Polynesia, a group of over 100 islands in the middle of the south Pacific, is in the most danger. There, NOAA warns of tsunami waves from three to nine feet.
Source: Wired – The Chile Earthquake’s First Tsunami Waves Strike
A powerful earthquake has hit central Chile, causing buildings to sway in the capital Santiago, officials say.
The 8.3-magnitude tremor was centred off the coast, about 144 miles (232km) north-west of the capital.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that “widespread hazardous tsunami waves are possible”.
One person was killed by a falling wall, and evacuation was ordered in coastal areas. Tsunami sirens were heard in the port of Valparaiso.
Chilean officials say the earthquake has produced waves of up to 4.5 metres (15 feet) along the coast in the region of Coquimbo.
Source: BBC News – Tsunami alert as Chile hit by powerful earthquake
An 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the central coast of Chile Wednesday, shaking buildings and causing at least one death, officials said. Tsunami advisories were issued for the region and as far away as Hawaii.
The earthquake struck 44 miles west-northwest of Illapel, and north of Santiago, at 6:54 p.m., the U.S. Geological Survey said. It said the earthquake was the largest to hit the area in over 100 years.
Illapel Mayor Denis Cortes told TV Chile that there are reports of one death. He said the town of around 30,000 was without power.
Source: NBC News – 8.3-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Coast of Chile
Residents around Chile’s Calbuco volcano were stunned when the mountain roared to life yesterday for the first time in over four decades.
The president of the country has declared a state of emergency and officials forcibly evacuated the town of Ensenada and its 1500 residents. Two other smaller communities were also forced to clear out.
Heavy ash was reported through the region and also in neighboring Argentina. The official government metrological service reported the ash cloud reaching a peak of 40,000 feet.
No injuries have been reported but one hiker was reported missing.
Officials say that no hot rocks or lava have been seen coming from the volcano but the high levels of ash are posting a threat to the groundwater in the region. The ash can also cause significant problems to air travel and residents who have breathing problems like asthma.
The mountain is considered one of the three most dangerous volcanoes in Chile.
Chile is located on the eastern edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire. One of the country’s most active volcanoes, Villarica, erupted last month sending lava down its sides and forcing the evacuation of thousands.
A major eruption in Chile has thousands of people fleeing as heavy smoke fills the air and lava rushes down the slopes.
The Villarrica volcano blew its top at 3 a.m. local time according to the National Emergency Office. A red alert was issued for the region and authorities immediately started forced evacuations of residents from around the bottom of the mountain.
In addition to the lava flow, authorities say mudslides caused by melting snow could destroy entire villages.
“It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” 29-year-old Australian tourist Travis Armstrong told the Associated Press. “I’ve never seen a volcano erupt and it was spewing lava and ash hundreds of meters into the air. Lightning was striking down at the volcano from the ash cloud that formed from the eruption.”
Rivers in the area were rising and residents downriver from the mountain are preparing for flooding issues.
The mountain has been erupting on a regular basis every 10 to 15 years.
Another day, another massive quake and tsunami warning for Chile and parts of Peru.
A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck in almost the same location as Tuesday’s 8.2 magnitude quake. The second quake is considered officially an aftershock of the Tuesday quake but it still provides a significant shock on its own.
The quake was so strong in neighboring Peru that residents of Tacna and Arequipa fled homes out of fear they would collapse.
The tsunami alert and precautionary evacuation of low-lying areas meant the residents spent a second night away from their homes.
Even the president of the country was forced to evacuate because of the tsunami warning. President Michelle Bachelet posted on Twitter: “I was evacuated like all citizens. One can see that the people are prepared.”
Authorities say at least six deaths have been confirmed but that because so many older structures have collapsed from the two quakes and it’s possible there are victims trapped inside those buildings.
Despite no tsunami warnings being issued for California, the West Coast has been experiencing unusual water movements since the 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck Chile’s northern coast.
Tide fluctuations, abnormal wave heights, and current changes have been reported and no tsunami warnings have been issued.
Tsunami waves hit the southern town of La Jolla, California and progressed north according to Bill Knight, an oceanographer with the National Tsunami Warning Center.
It is unlikely the tides will damage boats in the harbor, but boat owners could experience problems if they are returning to dock. California harbors have experienced three-to-four knot fluctuations that can push boaters and their vessels into the dock.
Knight added that the fluctuations could last a full day, but called the situation “pretty typical.”
“I think there’s nothing to worry about here, but we want to do our due diligence,” he said. “We haven’t seen anything yet to make us worry. And we don’t expect to.”
Hours after an 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northern Chile, scientists claim that an even bigger earthquake could strike in the near future.
A fault line located underneath Chile’s coast has been constantly shifting for the past 140 years causing Tuesday’s quake. Within recent weeks, Chile has seen approximately 50 to 100 smaller quakes.
This recent cluster of activity is now threatening to rupture a different fault line located to the north and south of the recent earthquake. Mark Simons, a geophysicist from Caltech, says that fault line “hasn’t ruptured in 140-odd years.”
Given that Chile is located in the “Ring of Fire” where there is frequent seismic activity, it is only a matter of time until the other fault line ruptures.
“We expect another 8.8-8.9 earthquake here sometime in the future,” said geophysicist, Mark Simons.
A magnitude 8.2 earthquake off the coast of northern Chile left at least six people dead and injured hundreds.
The quake was significant enough that government and local officials forced an evacuation of the coastline in anticipation of a tsunami. The waves peaked out about 7 feet above normal before officials allowed residents to return 10 hours after the quake.
The only major damage from tsunami waves struck Iquique by flooding city streets and washing away fishing boats. The city was also hosting several military units after the quake caused the collapse of a wall in the city’s women’s prison resulting the escape of all 300 prisoners.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had 20 aftershocks including one that registered magnitude 6.2. The initial quake was so large that the USGS reports the capital of neighboring Bolivia reported a 4.5 magnitude earthquake.
Mike Simons, a seismologist with the USGS, said that despite the intensity of the current quake, scientists are expecting a more massive quake to strike Chile.
“Could be tomorrow, could be in 50 years; we do not know when it’s going to occur. But the key point here is that this magnitude-8.2 is not the large earthquake that we were expecting for this area,” Simons said.