Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
The magnitude-8.3 quake hit off northern Chile on Wednesday night, causing buildings to sway in the capital of Santiago and prompting authorities to issue a tsunami warning for the Andean nation's entire Pacific coast. People sought safety in the streets of inland cities, while others along the shore took to their cars to get to higher ground. "Once again we must confront a powerful blow from nature," President Michelle Bachelet said in an address to the nation late Wednesday. Authorities said early Thursday that five people had been killed and one person was listed as missing.
Bachelet urged people who evacuated from coastal areas to stay on high ground until authorities could fully evaluate the situation during the night. Officials said schools would be kept closed in most of the country Thursday. Numerous aftershocks, including one at magnitude-7 and four above 6, shook the region after the initial earthquake - the strongest tremor since a powerful quake and tsunami killed hundreds in 2010 and leveled part of the city of Concepcion in south-central Chile.
People evacuate a mall in Santiago after a powerful earthquake, in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015. The magnitude-8.3 earthquake hit off Chile's northern coast causing buildings to sway in Santiago and other cities and sending people running into the streets. Authorities reported one death in a town north of the capital.
Although officials cautioned it was too early to know for sure, it appeared Wednesday's quake had a much smaller impact than the 2010 tremor. If that turns out to be the case, it will be a sign that Chile's traditionally strong risk reduction measures and emergency planning had gotten better in the last five years. "Earthquake impact is a little like real estate: what matters is location, location, location," said Susan Hough, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "But it is true that preparedness and risk reduction in Chile is ahead of that in much of the world, and that makes a difference."
The tremor was so strong that people in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the other side of the continent, reported feeling it. People in Peru and Brazil also reported feeling the shakes. No injuries were reported outside Chile. Claudio Moreno said he was in a Santiago bar when it hit. The shaking was powerful, but more worrisome was how long it lasted, he said. "We went out in the street when we felt it was going on too long," he said. "It was more than a minute." Authorities said some adobe houses collapsed in the inland city of Illapel, about 175 miles (280 kilometers) north of Santiago and about 34 miles (55 kilometers) east of the quake's epicenter.
MORE
The government ordered the evacuation of coastal areas, anxious to avoid a repeat of a quake disaster in 2010 when authorities were slow to warn of a tsunami that killed hundreds. "It's been awful. We ran out of the house with our grandchildren and now we are on a hill hoping it will be over soon," said Maria Angelica Leiva from the coastal town of Navidad. "It is all very dark, and we just hope the sea hasn't reached our house," she said.
Wednesday's quake and heavy waves caused flooding in coastal towns, damaged buildings and knocked out power in the worst hit areas of central Chile and shook buildings in the capital city of Santiago about 280 km (175 miles) to the south. President Michelle Bachelet said she planned to travel to the areas worst affected by the quake, the biggest to hit the world's top copper producer since 2010 and 2015's largest quake globally in terms of magnitude. "Once again we're having to deal with another harsh blow from nature," Bachelet said in a televised statement.
Operations were suspended at two big copper mines, and copper prices on the London Metal Exchange CMCU3 rose to two-month highs in early Asian trading on worries about supply disruptions. The quake was felt as far away as Buenos Aires in Argentina. Tsunami advisories were issued for parts of South America, Hawaii, California and French Polynesia, although waves were generally expected to be small.
On remote Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean, islanders were evacuated to a church in the only town of Hanga Roa. By 0420 local time (0720 GMT), Chile's emergency office had canceled the tsunami alert for the island and some parts of the coastal mainland, but kept an alert in place for a stretch of central Chile. As far away as New Zealand, authorities warned of "unusually strong currents" and urged residents in eastern coastal areas to stay out of the water and off beaches.
AFTERSHOCKS FELT
About 1 million people evacuated ahead of the tsunami wave. Authorities said at least 10 people died and one person is missing. The quake hit Wednesday night, with its epicenter 46 kilometers (29 miles) west of Illapel, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Some of the fatalities occurred in Illapel, where homes sustained much damage. Undersecretary of the Interior Mahmud Aleuy told CNN Chile that the government sends its condolences to the relatives of the victims.
Before heading to the scene of the earthquake, President Michelle Bachelet told reporters, "The response to this earthquake has been very efficient, and we took the right measures." Chile's coast is prone to earthquakes, and the country has a long history of large quakes, according to Randy Baldwin, a U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist. "They've had a lot of experience," Baldwin said, noting a strong monitoring of quake activity and the retrofitting of buildings to minimize harm.
Massive waves
The quake had a depth of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. Chile's national emergency agency issued a tsunami alert, ordering evacuations in coastal areas from Arica to Puerto Aysen. Large tsunami waves washed along the coast near the quake's epicenter. In Coquimbo, a 15.6-foot wave became the largest to land on Chile's shores, according to the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center.
Aftershocks continue
Not really. Only the northern part, Cape Mendecino north, has a peice of subduction zone underneath.
Were they but an advance warning of more bad stuff to come? Read this article @ Eruption Update for April 4, 2014: Ubinas, Chilean volcanoes and Fearmongering | Science Blogs | WIRED
Which also bring up THIS question how about something similar happening in California?
And, even though I live in Vegas, notice how close one of them is to here?
Have a nice day.
Hundreds of traumatized Chileans spent a second night out in the open or in shelters on Thursday night after an offshore magnitude 8.3 earthquake left 12 dead. In the coastal city of Coquimbo, the wrath of the earth’s twitch in the quake-prone country was clear and ugly: A jumble of fishing boats, remains of homes, trucks, vendors’ stands and cars washed up by tsunami waves bore testament to the sea’s fury.
Maria Zamorano, 60, recounted how she and her large family ran from the shoreline to save themselves from the surging waves. “If we had stayed here, we would have perished,” she said, as people slowly and warily returned to see what was left of their homes. The town is about 445km north of the capital, Santiago. The earthquake on Wednesday evening was the sixth strongest in the history of Chile and the most powerful anywhere in the world this year, officials said. Close to 1 million people were evacuated from Pacific coastal areas as a precaution, as Chile sounded a tsunami alert, with warnings issued as far away as Japan and New Zealand.
A fishing boat lies beached on the street of the port of Coquimbo, 445km north of Santiago, on Thursday, a day after a magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck Chile.
As of Thursday, most of the evacuees had returned home, but Chilean Minister of the Interior Jorge Burgos said that about 600 people remained in shelters or elsewhere and that about 650 homes were damaged, mainly in Coquimbo. The quake occurred at a shallow depth and the epicenter was 228km north of Santiago, a city of 6.6 million people, where there were scenes of pandemonium as thousands fled swaying buildings. In the hours that followed, tsunami waves of up to 4.5m came crashing onshore in the Coquimbo region, causing extensive damage to the region’s port. Eight of the 12 victims were in Coquimbo.
Scenes of destruction also littered the badly hit coastal town of Illapel, further south. “It was a nightmare,” Maria Ramirez said as she swept up debris outside her house. “We felt the tremors for a long time, too long. And then all the aftershocks — it was terrible. “I couldn’t stay standing, but luckily we made it out alive.” Chilean President Michelle Bachelet headed to the quake-hit area to assess the relief efforts and US Secretary of State John Kerry said the US was ready to help. Hundreds of homes were declared uninhabitable or destroyed, as authorities tally the human, emotional and financial cost.
MORE
At least 11 people died in Wednesday's 8.3-magnitude quake - the strongest in the world this year - that sent tsunami waves as far away as Japan. The coastal town of Coquimbo, close to the epicentre, saw waves of 4.7m (15ft) hit the shore. Hundreds of people spent Thursday night in temporary shelters, while tens of thousands are without electricity. About one million people had to leave their homes after Chile sounded a tsunami alert when the quake struck, although most are reported to have returned. Tsunami waves also hit the coast further north and south of the quake's epicentre, with waves half a metre higher than usual as far north as La Punta. Gloria Navarro, who lives in the coastal town of La Serena, said people were "running in all directions". "Everything is a mess," restaurant owner Melisa Pinones told Reuters from the city of Illapel. "It was a disaster, a total loss."
Across parts of central Chile, residents began clearing up after what was the country's sixth most powerful recorded earthquake. Large parts of the sea front in the fishing village of Tongoy were destroyed, and more than 500 homes were badly damaged across the region, according to emergency response teams. Emergency powers mean aid will reach Coquimbo quicker, and allow troops to be deployed on to the region's streets. Visiting Coquimbo on Thursday, President Michelle Bachelet paid tribute to people's response, saying that the death toll, "while unfortunate, was not very high considering the strength of the earthquake".
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the tremor struck off the coast of Coquimbo, 46km (29 miles) west of the city of Illapel at 19:54 local time (22:54 GMT). The USGS said it was at a depth of 25km, while Chilean seismologists calculated its depth at 11km. Small tsunami waves were felt along the west coast of the US and Canada. A one-metre (3ft) wave also reached in Hawaii. The earthquake struck as thousands of Chileans were travelling to the coast ahead of a week of celebrations for independence day. President Bachelet said some of Friday's official festivities would be cancelled.
Chile quake: State of emergency declared for Coquimbo - BBC News
So did LongKnife "predict" this one back in April?? Might have to draft him into the USGS...
The powerful quake killed at least 12 people and likely caused billions of dollars in damage. There are serious structural damages to homes close to the epicenter of the earthquake in the town of Illapel.
As large tsunami waves were also observed along the Chilean coast, many were concerned that it would do even greater damage. In the city of Coquimbo, a wave was measured at more than 15 feet, according to the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center. There were no casulties because residents evacuated before waves started hitting the coastline, but Coquimbo Mayor Cristian Galleguillos reported that the city did lose power.
A tsunami advisory was in effect as far as Japan, Hawaii, and California. New Zealand, which is some 6,000 miles away from the quake's epicenter, was on guard for possible tsunami waves as well. At least 15 aftershocks of magnitude 4.9 or higher rattled residents in the area around the first quake's epicenter.
Fabrizio Guzman, emergency communications manager in Chile for World Vision, said the earthquake hit during rush hour, causing traffic chaos that left many people stuck in the streets as they tried to get home. The people of Chile are no strangers to earthquakes. Since 1973, Chile has had more than a dozen quakes of magnitude 7.0 and above.
Chilean Earthquake Leaves Millions in Chaos - World - CBN News - Christian News 24-7 - CBN.com
