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2010 Chile earthquake From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article documents a recent major earthquake. Information regarding it may change rapidly as it progresses. Although this article is updated frequently, it may not reflect the most current or official information about this earthquake for all areas. Wikinews has related news: 8.8 magnitude earthquake hits Chile; tsunami warnings issued throughout Pacific rim 2010 Chile earthquake Date 03:34:14, 27 February 2010 (UTC-3) 06:34:14, 27 February 2010 (UTC) Magnitude Depth Epicenter location 8.8 Mw 35 kilometres (22 mi) 35°50′46″S 72°43′08″W35.846°S 72.719°WCoordinates: 35°50′46″S 72°43′08″W35.846°S 72.719°W Countries or regions Chile, Maule Region, Biobío Region affected Max. intensity MM VIII[1] Tsunami Casualties Widespread warnings for most of the Pacific coasts.[2] 708 fatalities[3] The 2010 Chile earthquake occurred off the coast of the Maule Region of Chile[4] on February 27, 2010, at 03:34 local time (06:34 UTC), rating a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale and lasting for about three minutes.[5][6] The cities experiencing the strongest shaking—VIII (Destructive) on the Mercalli intensity scale—were Talcahuano, Arauco, Lota, Chiguayante, Cañete, and San Antonio.[1] The earthquake was felt in the capital Santiago at Mercalli intensity scale VII (Very Strong).[7] Tremors were felt in many Argentine cities, including Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza and La Rioja.[8][9] Tremors were felt as far north as the city of Ica in southern Peru.[10] Tsunami warnings were issued in 53 countries,[7] and a tsunami was recorded, with amplitude of up to 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) high, in the sea at Valparaíso, Chile. President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe". She also confirmed the deaths of at least 708 people.[11] Many more have been reported missing.[12][13][14] The epicenter of the earthquake was offshore from the Maule Region, approximately 8 km (5.0 miles) west of Curanipe and 115 km (71 mi) north-northeast of Chile's second largest city, Concepción.[15][16] The earthquake also caused seiches to occur in Lake Pontchartrain to the north of New Orleans, United States, located nearly 4,700 miles (7,600 km) from the epicenter of the quake.[17] Geology The Nazca Plate is subducting under the South American Plate. This movement causes seismicity and volcanism throughout Chile. Main articles: Nazca Plate and Geology of Chile The earthquake occurred along the boundary between the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate. At the location of this earthquake, the plates converge at 80 mm/year (~3 in/year). The earthquake is characterized by a thrust-faulting focal mechanism, caused by the subduction of the Nazca plate beneath the South American plate.[15] The coastal part of Chile has a history of great megathrust earthquakes originating from this plate boundary, such as the 1960 Valdivia earthquake. More recently, this plate boundary ruptured at the 2007 Antofagasta earthquake. The segment of the fault zone that ruptured in this earthquake was estimated to be 249 km (155 mi) long, and immediately to the north of the 373 km (232 mi) segment that ruptured in the 1960 earthquake.[18] Aftershocks An aftershock of 6.2 was recorded 20 minutes after the initial quake.[19][20] Two more aftershocks of magnitudes 5.4 and 5.6 followed.[20] The USGS said that "a large vigorous aftershock sequence can be expected from this earthquake".[15] By 00:00 am UTC March 1, more than one hundred aftershocks were registered, including eight above magnitude 6.0.[21] A 6.9-magnitude offshore earthquake struck approximately 185 miles southwest of, and less than 90 minutes after, the initial shock; however, it is not clear if that quake is related as of February 27, 2010.[22] A separate earthquake of magnitude 6.3 occurred in Salta, Argentina, at 3:45 pm UTC on February 27, at a depth of 38.2 km (23.7 mi).[23] Minor quakes generated by the main one could be felt as far away as São Paulo, Brazil,[24] located about 3,000 km (1,900 mi) away from Concepción. Two were injured and one died in Salta, Argentina [25]. Damage and casualties According to an Associated Press Television News cameraman, some buildings have collapsed in Santiago and there are power outages in parts of the city.[26] A fire was reported in a chemical plant in an outskirt of Santiago and caused the evacuation of the neighborhood.[19] Santiago's International Airport seems to have been damaged and the airport authority has closed off all flight operations for the next 24 hours from around 12:00 UTC.[4] As of Sunday, Feb. 28th, the Santiago airport has reopened to incoming international flights, and flights of the national carrier Lan Airlines will land Sunday.[27] Santiago's national Fine Arts Museum was badly damaged. An apartment building's twostory parking lot collapsed, smashing about 50 cars. According to one health official, three hospitals in Santiago collapsed, and a dozen more south of the capital also suffered significant damage.[28] In Talca, 167 miles south of Santiago, all but two of the local hospital’s thirteen wings were in ruins. Dr. Claudio Martinez was quoted as saying, “We’re only keeping the people in danger of dying.” Hospital staff attempted to transport some patients to Santiago Sunday morning, but roads were blocked.[29] At least 500,000 homes are estimated to be damaged.[30] Many cities in Maule region were seriously affected by the earthquake. Curanipe, only 8 km from the epicenter, was hit by tsunami after the earthquake and still remained isolated from outside as of February 28.[31] A surfer described the tsunami "...was like the one in Thailand, a sudden rise of water. One could not estimate the dimension of the wave, because it was advancing foam. There were 10 to 15 rises, the last one being at 08:30 in the morning."[32] In Talca, the capital of Maule region, many dead were trapped in the rubble. The administrative building was uninhabitable, and the authorities had to be set up in the parade ground.[33] Damaged buildings and fires were reported in Concepción.[34] Rescue teams had difficulty accessing Concepción because of the damaged infrastructure.[19] A fourteenstorey residential building collapsed, reduced to a height equivalent to about three storeys, trapping about a hundred people; only about six months had passed since the turnover of the building, so half of the apartments were unoccupied.[35] A 2.34 m tsunami wave hit Talcahuano, a port city and part of the Concepción conurbation. The tsunami caused serious damage to port facilities and lifted boats out of the water.[36] Dilapidated buildings could be seen on the streets of Temuco, about 400 km from the epicenter. The adobe of some buildings fell. Two people were reported dead because of not having been able to escape from a discothèque. On February 27, it was reported that "to find a store open is almost impossible" ("Encontrar un negocio abierto es casi imposible").[37] About 24 hours after the quake more than 300 confirmed deaths had been reported and the toll is rising.[38] The Chilean National Emergency Office (Oficina Nacional de Emergencia) estimated that the intensity of the earthquake was 9 on the Mercalli scale in the Biobío Region and 8 in Santiago.[19][39] USGS put the intensity in Talcahuano at MM VIII, in Santiago and Concepcion at MM VII and in Valparaiso at MM VI.[1] Slight damage to Structural damage buildings in Santiago USGS shake caused by the de Chile on the map of the earthquake. morning after the earthquake. earthquake. The death regonal toll in the 2010 Chile earthquake by 14.35 and 15.35 on February the 27th, 03.23 on February the 28th and the aparently final death toll of 05.00 on March the 1st. Humanitarian response Main article: Humanitarian response to the 2010 Chile earthquake Despite Chilean president Michelle Bachelet's earlier statement that Chile did not need international aid,[40] leaders of many countries and intergovernmental organizations, including the United Nations and European Union, responded to the earthquake and sent messages of condolence to the government and people of Chile over the loss of lives and property. Argentina, the United States, United Kingdom, People's Republic of China, Singapore, Haiti, and Pakistan were among the countries that responded earliest following the quake.[41][42] Appeals for humanitarian aid were issued by the UK-based Oxfam, Save the Children and others. Conditions in the aftermath Initial chaos and disorder Nearly half the regions in the country were declared Catastrophe Zones and curfew was ordered in some areas as there has been looting and public disorder.[43] One day after the earthquake, on February 28, 2010, some affected cities were in a state of chaos and massive raids took place in supermarkets in Concepción. The items stolen included not only food and other items of living necessity, but also electronic materials and other nonedible merchandise. In order to control these acts of vandalism, a special force (GOPE) of Carabineros was sent to disperse revolters with tear gas bombs and water cannons.[44] Government response Four hours after the earthquake, when the death count was still low, Chilean president Michelle Bachelet provided a press conference in which she informed the population of the situation and stated that Chile did not yet need international aid.[40] However, about 2 million people have been affected by the quake with more than 500,000 houses completely damaged. In many cities people have been sleeping in tents in parks or merely on streets because of fear for aftershocks. The government is also set to begin distributing food and other vital aid around the country.[45] On February 28, President Bachelet has stated that her government has reached an agreement with the country’s major supermarkets that would allow them to give away basic foodstuffs in stock to those affected by the earthquake.[46] As of February 28, Santiago's subway service is already partially available and it is supposed to be fully operative on March 1.[47] Tsunami Wikinews has related news: Pacific Rim braces for tsunami following major Chilean earthquake A tsunami warning was first declared for Chile and Peru,[48] and a tsunami watch for Ecuador, Colombia, Antarctica, Panama and Costa Rica.[49][50] The warning was later extended to a Pacific Ocean-wide warning, covering all coastal areas on the Pacific Ocean except the west coast of the United States, British Columbia, and Alaska.[51] Hawaiian media reported that tsunami warning sirens sounded at 6 am local time.[52] The U.S. Tsunami Warning Center issued advisories about potential tidal waves of less than 1 m (3 ft 3 in) striking the Pacific Ocean coastline between California and most of Alaska late in the afternoon or through the evening 12 or more hours after the initial earthquake.[53] The tsunami warning was cancelled for all countries except Japan and Russia in PTWC Bulletin 18 of 00:12 UTC on 28 February 2010.[54] In general, tsunamis tend to come in several waves, of which the first may not be the highest.[55][56] The tsunami's passage as recorded by National Data Buoy Center Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) buoy 34142, located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean 630 nautical miles (1170 km) southwest of Lima, Peru. A tsunami amplitude of up to 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) high was recorded in the sea at Valparaíso, Chile.[19][57][58] A wave amplitude of 2.34 m (7.68 ft) was recorded at Talcahuano in the Biobío Region.[2] Robinson Crusoe Island, the largest of the Juan Fernández Islands, was struck by a large wave led to the deaths of four people on the island, with eleven people reported as missing, according to Provincial Governor Ivan De La Maza. Chilean president Michelle Bachelet is reported to have sent an aid mission to the remote island.[59][60] As a precaution against the coming tsunami, partial evacuation was ordered in Easter Island, about 3,510 km away from the coast of Chile. The tsunami wave arrived in Easter Island at 12:05 UTC, measuring 0.35 m.[61][62] The U.S. National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning throughout a huge swathe of the Pacific region, including Antarctica.[63] In the Americas, the warning extends to Chile (including Easter Island), Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Panama.[63] A warning was also issued for the Oceania and Pacific Islands nations and territories of American Samoa, Australia, the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia (including the FSM states of Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap), Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Jarvis Island, Johnston Island, the Kermadec Islands, Kiribati, Marcus Island, the Marshall Islands, Midway Island, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna and Wake Island.[63] Tsunami warnings are also in effect as far away as East and Southeast Asia including Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Russia and Taiwan.[63] Coastal areas of Canada's westernmost province British Columbia were under a tsunami advisory.[64] No large wave was expected to strike British Columbia, but strong local ocean currents combined with a wave put low-lying coastal regions at risk of flooding.[64] The first wave was expected to reach southern British Columbia at 3:11 p.m. local time.[64] Residents were advised to avoid beaches, harbours and marinas.[65] A tsunami advisory was also issued for coastal areas of California, Oregon, Washington and southern Alaska in the United States.[66] This tsunami advisory was canceled as of 7:13 AM UTD on February 28.[67] Russian authorities lifted a tsunami alert for the Kamchatka coast, after the arrival of a 0.8 meter surge that caused no damage.[68] The tsunami was also reported to be small along the Japanese coast passed without incident. Many coastal areas in Japan had been evacuated as a precaution.[69] Oceania New Zealand Initially, the New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) said they did not expect a tsunami to reach New Zealand,[70] but later issued a warning stating that waves of up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) high were likely for the eastern[71] and later the entire New Zealand coast.[72] By 7:55 pm UTC (8:40 am local), Civil Defence reported wave activity of 50 cm (1.6 ft) in the Chatham Islands,[73] and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) surges were reported there later in the morning.[74] A surge 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in) high hit the South Island's Banks Peninsula,[72][75] while surges up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) high were reported in the northern North Island.[76] By mid afternoon (local time), Civil Defence had downgraded the tsunami warning to an alert, while still advising that sea levels could change quickly for up to 24 hours from the initial surge.[77] Australia The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Center (JATWC) sent out tsunami warnings for New South Wales, Queensland, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, Tasmania, and Victoria. The organization warned of the possibility of dangerous waves, strong ocean currents and foreshore flooding to occur on the east coast of Australia for several hours on Sunday.[78] As a result of the warnings, patrolled beaches in New South Wales and Queensland remained closed (red flags) and lifeguards ushered people to leave the water. However beach goers and surfers have ignored the warnings. Numerous onlookers have also crowded parts of the shore to view potential effects of the tsunami.[79] The beach ban was lifted by the end of the day and there was no reports of damage, flooding or other emergencies. Tsunami waves of between 10 cm and 50 cm were recorded and their surges were believed to have created strong currents. Increases in sea levels include: Norfolk Island 50 cm, Gold Coast (Qld) 20 cm, Port Kembla (NSW) 14 cm, Southport (Tas) 17 cm.[79] French Polynesia A wave measuring up to 6 ft (1.8 m) high struck portions of French Polynesia between 3:50 pm to 5:50 pm UTC (6:50 am to 6:50 am local), with no reports of injuries as of February 28, 2010.[80] A wave 4 meters high is reported to have struck Hiva Oa in the Marquesas Islands.[81] The first waves were expected to hit the main island of Tahiti at approximately 4:50 pm UTC (7:50 am local).[82] Cars and other automobiles were banned from roads closer than 500 m (1,600 ft) from the Pacific Ocean.[82] Réseau France Outre-mer in Papeete reported that a wave measuring less than 1 m (3 ft 3 in) passed east of the Gambier Islands with no damage, according to Monique Richeton, the mayor of Rikitea.[80][82] Residents of the Tuamotus, which are low-lying, were told to move to the highest points on the island.[82] American Samoa The first wave was expected to reach American Samoa, which is still recovering from the 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami, at 8:51 local time.[82] Lieutenant Governor Ipulasi Aitofele Sunia urged residents not to rush to A'oloau, a high elevation area on Tutuila, as it could cause traffic jams, putting safety at risk.[82] Many coastal towns, including the main city of Pago Pago, had already been heavily damaged in the 2009 tsunami. The first wave arrived on Pago Plaza at 21:58 UTC. Philippines The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) issued an advisory that tsunami wave(s) were expected to hit the eastern coast of the Philippines on Sunday between 5:00 am and 6:30 am UTC (1:00 pm and 2:30 pm local). Residents of 19 eastern provinces "are advised to prepare for possible evacuation."[83] However, at 3:15 PM on February 28, 2010, all warnings have been cancelled.[84] Hawaii United States Senators Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka issued a joint press release announcing the first tsunami evacuation in Hawaii since 1994.[85][86] Warning sirens were sounded throughout the state, as hotels in Waikiki evacuated tourists at 6 a.m. People in tall buildings were encouraged to move above the third floor. Waves measuring nine feet high were originally predicted to strike Hilo Bay on the Big Island of Hawai'i at 11:05 a.m. local time (2105 GMT),[87] but by 11:18 a.m., major receding and waves had not been reported on the shoreline but drops over 10 m (33 ft) and ten wave crests up to 20 m (66 ft) were recorded offshore southeast of Honolulu, and discoloration was reported by 11:20 a.m. By 11:40, several waves hit the islands amounting to raising and lowering of the sea near the coast, and a fourth wave hit around 1:12 p.m. The tsunami warning for Hawaii was canceled in the early afternoon on Saturday, February 27. Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist for the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center was quoted as saying: “We expected the waves to be bigger in Hawaii, maybe about 50 percent bigger than they actually were." [88] Early in the morning, the Center expected waves of 10 feet. In actuality, the highest tsunami waves ended up being about 5 to 6 feet peak to trough.[89] North America California Small waves were expected in California, and receding was reported at Long Beach, California. Minor damage was reported on some coastal areas. The tsunami damaged navigation buoys at Ventura, California.[90] Additionally, a boat was torn loose from its mooring and minor erosion occurred within Ventura Harbor. Damage to docks and pilings in the area was moderate.[91] British Columbia At around 11:00 pm UTC (3:00 pm local), a tsunami warning was issued for coastal British Columbia. Extra precautions were already in place due to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games being held in Vancouver at the time.[92] Question of whether tsunamis were overestimated The projections use DART (Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis) gauges spread along the sea floor, which is a fairly new technology. Initial deep sea readings showed wave height of 25 centimeters, which is huge for deep water according to Gerard Fryer of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. He went on to say, “although it was huge, we didn't quite know what it meant because we haven't much experience with those. As we get more under our belts, we'll get better."[89] Data The following data, published by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, lists measured and reported values of the tsunami when it arrived at specific places. Station Tsunami arrival data[2][93][94] Country or Latitude Longitude territory Talcahuano Chile 36.7 S 73.4 W Valparaiso Corral San Felix Caldera Ancud Coquimbo Iquique DART Lima Antofagasta Arica Callao Easter Island Chile Chile Chile Chile Chile Chile Chile 33 S 39.9 S 26.3 S 27.1 S 41.9 S 30 S 20.2 S 18 S 23.2 S 18.5 S 12.1 S 27.2 S 71.6 W 73.4 W 80.1 W 70.8 W 73.8 W 71.3 W 70.1 W 86.4 W 70.4 W 70.3 W 77.2 W 109.5 W Quepos Galapagos Islands DART Marquesas Islands Rikitea Height Height (m) (ft) 2.34 7.7 1.29 0.90 0.53 0.45 0.62 1.32 0.28 0.24 0.49 0.94 0.36 0.35 4.2 2.9 1.7 1.5 2.0 4.3 0.9 0.8 1.6 3.1 1.2 1.1 14:16 0.24 0.8 90.3 W 14:52 0.35 1.2 8.5 S 125 W 15:31 0.18 0.6 23.1 S 134.9 W 15:59 0.15 0.5 Chile Chile Peru Chile Costa Rica Ecuador 0.4 S French Time (UTC) 06:53 27 Feb 07:08 07:39 08:15 08:34 08:38 08:52 09:07 09:41 09:41 10:08 10:29 12:05 Polynesia DART Manzanillo Manzanillo Hiva Oa Nuku Hiva Papeete Cabo San Lucas Rarotonga Acapulco DART San Diego Lottin Point DART Tonga Apia Nukualofa Pago Pago Monterey, California San Diego, California San Francisco, California Hilo, Hawaii Kuamalapau, Hawaii Kahului, Hawaii Santa Barbara, California Barber's Point, Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii Kawaihae, Hawaii 16.0 N Mexico 19.1 N French 9.8 N Polynesia French 8.9 S Polynesia French 17.5 N Polynesia Mexico 22.9 N Cook 21.2 S Islands Mexico 16.8 N 32.2 N New 37.6 S Zealand 23 S Samoa 13.8 S Tonga 21.1 S 107 W 104.3 W 16:11 17:05 0.07 0.32 0.2 1.0 139.0 W 17:41 1.79 5.9 140.1 W 17:45 0.95 3.1 149.6 W 18:10 0.16 0.5 109.9 W 18:33 0.36 1.2 159.8 W 19:07 0.15 0.5 99.9 W 120.7 W 19:31 19:31 0.62 0.06 2.0 0.2 178.2 E 19:34 0.15 0.5 168.1 W 171.8 W 175.2 W 20:03 20:18 20:24 0.04 0.13 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.3 American Samoa United States United States United States United States United States United States United States United States United States United 14.3 S 170.7 W 20:27 0.22 0.7 36.6 N 121.9 W 20:31 0.28 1.1 32.7 N 117.2 W 20:36 0.13 0.4 37.8 N 122.5 W 21:20 0.26 0.8 19.7 N 154.9 W 21:20 0.86 2.8 20.8 N 156.9 W 21:36 0.18 0.6 20.9 N 156.5 W 21:47 0.98 3.2 34.4 N 119.7 W 21:50 0.53 1.7 21.3 N 158.1 W 21:57 0.12 0.4 21.3 N 150.4 W 22:00 0.25 0.8 20 N 155.5 W 22:11 0.52 1.7 States Crescent City, United California States Vanuatu Vanuatu United Johnston Atoll States United Nawiliwili, Hawaii States United Sitka, Alaska States Guam Guam [95] Minamitorishima Japan DART Saipan 41.7 N 124.2 W 22:13 0.37 1.2 17.8 S 168.3 E 22:46 0.15 0.5 16.7 N 169.5 W 22:48 0.22 0.7 22 N 159.4 W 23:23 0.37 1.2 57.1 N 135.3 W 0.08 0.3 13.4 N 24.1N 19.1 N 144.7 E 153.5E 155.8 E 0.16 0.1 0.08 0.5 0.3 0.3 Tsunami ETA NOAA (hour 0=06:34 UTC Feb 27) The energy model map of the tsunami. 00:11 28 Feb 03:07 03:43 03:55 Countries with coastal areas at risk (in pink). Compared to past earthquakes This was the strongest earthquake affecting Chile since the magnitude 9.5 1960 Valdivia earthquake (the most energetic earthquake ever recorded worldwide), and is the strongest earthquake worldwide since the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.[96] It is the seventh strongest earthquake ever recorded (the 1906 Ecuadorian earthquake is tied for seventh with it), far more forceful than the 7.0 Mw earthquake in Haiti in January 2010.[97]