8.8 - Magnitude Quake Hits Chile *Merged*

[yogi3939]

Update time = Sun Feb 28 13:21:52 UTC 2010


MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 4.8 2010/02/28 12:34:30 -36.014 -72.346 35.0 MAULE, CHILE
MAP 5.2 2010/02/28 12:18:59 -38.129 -73.341 26.5 BIO-BIO, CHILE
MAP 5.1 2010/02/28 12:13:27 2.146 98.906 51.3 NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA
MAP 5.0 2010/02/28 12:01:15 -35.809 -72.786 35.0 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
MAP 5.2 2010/02/28 11:50:36 -35.067 -72.730 20.0 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
MAP 6.1 2010/02/28 11:25:34 -34.906 -71.731 35.0 MAULE, CHILE
MAP 5.0 2010/02/28 11:14:27 -35.324 -72.655 35.0 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE

[yogi3939]

The world's strongest earthquakes

By The Associated Press

The Associated Press Sat Feb 27, 6:38 pm ET

Here is a list of earthquakes that registered at least magnitude 8.6.

• May 22, 1960: A magnitude 9.5 earthquake in southern Chile and ensuing tsunami killed at least 1,716 people.

• March 27, 1964: A magnitude 9.2 quake in Prince William Sound, Alaska, and ensuing tsunami killed 128 people.

• Dec. 26, 2004: A magnitude 9.1 quake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed 226,000 people in 12 countries, including 165,700 in Indonesia and 35,400 in Sri Lanka.

• Aug. 13, 1868: A magnitude 9.0 quake in Arica, Peru (now Chile) generated catastrophic tsunamis; more than 25,000 people were killed in South America.

• Jan. 26, 1700: A magnitude 9.0 quake shakes Northern California, Oregon, Washington and British Colombia and triggers tsunami that damages villages in Japan.

• Nov. 4, 1952: A magnitude 9.0 quake in Kamchatka causes damage but no reported deaths, despite setting off 30-foot (9.1-meter) waves in Hawaii.

• Jan. 31, 1906: A magnitude 8.8 quake off the coast of Ecuador and Colombia generated a tsunami that killed at least 500 people.

• Feb. 27, 2010: A magnitude 8.8 quake off the coast of Chile killed a still-undetermined number of people and sends a tsunami across the Pacific.

• Nov. 1, 1755: A magnitude 8.7 quake and ensuing tsunami in Lisbon, Portugal killed an estimated 60,000 people and destroyed much of Lisbon.

• July 8, 1730: A magnitude 8.7 quake in Valparasio, Chile, killed at least 3,000 people.

• Aug. 15, 1950: A magnitude 8.6 earthquake in Assam, Tibet, killed at least 780 people.

• March 28, 2005: A magnitude 8.6 quake in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, kills about 1,300 people.
____
Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology and WHO's International Disaster Database

[bleatingsheep]

It may already have been said but this is a very long thread, but the earthquake in Chile was 500 times stronger than January's earthquake in Haiti.

[Zerozx]

Death toll in Chile earthquake close to 400, officials say - http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/28/chile.quake/index.html?on.cnn=1


Santiago, Chile (CNN) -- The death toll from Saturday's 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile is up to nearly 400, Chilean officials said Sunday.

The updated figure came out during a meeting among emergency officials, led by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.

The president was expected to make a public statement at the conclusion of the meeting.

In the city of Constitucion, more than 60 bodies were found and placed in a makeshift morgue inside the gym of a local school, a federal police officer said.

The quake struck before dawn Saturday, toppling thousands of houses, affecting 2 million people and dealing a serious blow to one of Latin America's most stable economies.

More than 90 aftershocks had been recorded, ranging from 4.9 to 6.9 in magnitude.

"I've been using my glass of water to verify it is not just in my mind," said Luke Mescher, an American college student in Santiago. "You can see the water wobbling back and forth every time that it happens."

On Sunday morning, fears of looting increased in some areas, including hard-hit Concepcion, located about 70 miles (115 kilometers) from Santiago in coastal central Chile.

Desperate residents scrounged for water and supplies inside empty and damaged supermarkets. On Sunday morning, authorities resorted to tear gas and water cannons in some instances to disperse looters.

But there were not enough police to control all of the people seeking food and supplies from the stores. Some consumers were becoming desperate because supermarkets were closed, and there was no gasoline available.

The biggest concern Sunday was security, said the mayor of Concepcion, Jacqueline Van Rysselberghe.

Looting was being done not just by desperate residents, but by others who saw an opportunity to steal, she said.

In addition to food and emergency supplies, looters were taking from appliance and electronics stores, Van Rysselberghe said.

"They are robbing everything," she said, asking for a strong military response in her city to restore calm.

Some small business owners had resorted to protecting their shops with rifles and shotguns, and the current police force was inadequate, she said.

For its part, the city government was distributing water from the central plaza, Van Rysselberghe said.

The quake spawned a tsunami that raced around the world, but initial fears that it would be as devastating as the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean did not materialize.

The tsunami struck the island state of Hawaii as a series of small waves without causing damage, said Gov. Linda Lingle.

In Japan, the first waves to come ashore were also small, but authorities still asked thousands of evacuated residents to stay away because a second and third round of waves could be stronger.

Saturday's quake was 700 to 800 times stronger than the 7.0-magnitude quake that struck Haiti in January, leaving 212,000 people dead and more than a million homeless.

It also occurred at a greater depth -- 21.7 miles -- compared to the shallow 8.1-mile depth of the Haiti quake, which contributed to much of the damage there.

"The television fell, all the decorations fell. Everything you can imagine was on the floor," Santiago resident Juan Vivanco told CNN en Español.

Vivanco said he waited until the shaking stopped before climbing down 17 flights of stairs to exit his apartment building. At his home, as with many others in the capital, the building exterior showed few, if any, signs of damage, while inside, things were a mess.

Coastal Chile has a history of deadly earthquakes, with 13 temblors of magnitude 7.0 or higher since 1973, the U.S. Geological Survey said. As a result, experts said, newer buildings are constructed to help withstand the shocks.

Still, the damage from Chile's earthquake was widespread. A 15-story high-rise near Concepcion collapsed; the country's major north-south highway was severed at multiple points; and the capital city's airport was closed after its terminal sustained major damage.

The quake struck at 3:34 a.m. (1:34 a.m. ET) Saturday off the Pacific coast at a depth of nearly 22 miles (35 kilometers) and about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Chillan, Chile, the USGS said. Santiago, the capital, is 200 miles (325 kilometers) northeast of the epicenter.

Saturday's epicenter was just a few miles north of the largest earthquake recorded in the world: a magnitude 9.5 quake in May 1960 that killed 1,655 and unleashed a tsunami that crossed the Pacific.

Across Chile, desperate relatives spent the day searching for missing loved ones.

"My parents, I was able to talk to them for a very short phone call. I have my cousins who are still unaccounted for," said Andrea Riffo, who lives in Santiago but was trying to reach family members in Concepcion. "The lines are down everywhere."

Buildings lay in rubble, bridges and highway overpasses were toppled and roads buckled like crumpled paper. Mangled cars were strewn on highways, many of them resting on their roofs.

In Concepcion, whole sides of buildings were sheared off, and at least two structures caught fire. Emergency teams rescued 30 people from one collapsed building.

Bachelet declared areas of catastrophe, similar to a state of emergency, which will allow her to rush aid to the areas. She noted that two of the nation's largest hospitals had suffered structural damage and patients were taken to other facilities.

Two airlines, LAN and Cencosud, announced they were temporarily suspending services.

The European Union offered $4 million in assistance and several international humanitarian groups pledged help for Chile's relief effort.

In a televised address Saturday, President Obama said that the United States has resources ready if Chile requests help.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she will proceed Sunday with her planned trip to five Latin American countries, including Chile.

[Zerozx]

Seaside resort of Pelluhue washed away in Chile quake; officials estimate 350 dead in Constitucion - WSJ

Chilean seaside resort of Pelluhue washed away in the earthquake; it had 1,000 residents.

Santiago airport is now open

Flights to resume today at Santiago's international airport after Chile quake - NBC

[yogi3939]

Update time = Sun Feb 28 18:35:26 UTC 2010


MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 4.8 2010/02/28 18:14:12 -34.374 -73.583 35.0 OFF COAST OF LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
MAP 2.7 2010/02/28 16:00:24 33.558 -118.262 0.0 SAN PEDRO CHANNEL, CALIFORNIA
MAP 5.2 2010/02/28 15:46:26 -35.362 -72.604 35.0 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
MAP 5.0 2010/02/28 15:26:55 -35.085 -72.061 29.6 MAULE, CHILE
MAP 5.1 2010/02/28 14:55:25 -33.880 -73.286 32.7 OFF THE COAST OF VALPARAISO, CHILE
MAP 5.2 2010/02/28 14:50:33 -33.844 -73.191 26.0 OFF THE COAST OF VALPARAISO, CHILE
MAP 5.0 2010/02/28 13:47:06 -35.328 -72.918 35.0 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE
MAP 4.8 2010/02/28 13:26:05 -15.298 -173.346 10.0 TONGA
MAP 2.8 2010/02/28 13:16:12 58.203 -154.019 75.2 ALASKA PENINSULA

[cocopea9052]

Death toll going to over 700 now:


The death toll from Saturday's 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile has risen to 708, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/28/chile.quake/index.html?hpt=T1

[yogi3939]

Even though the Chilean earthquakes/aftershocks seem to be easing up in strength and becoming farther apart in time they continue to dominate the worldwide earthquake list.

Update time = Sun Feb 28 22:20:03 UTC 2010


MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km Region
MAP 4.9 2010/02/28 22:03:06 -34.202 -72.007 35.0 OFFSHORE LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
MAP 5.8 2010/02/28 19:48:38 -38.064 -73.533 29.4 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
MAP 4.9 2010/02/28 19:10:07 -36.827 -73.485 35.0 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
MAP 4.8 2010/02/28 19:01:08 -36.490 -73.509 35.0 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
MAP 5.1 2010/02/28 18:44:31 -36.630 -72.506 35.0 BIO-BIO, CHILE
MAP 4.9 2010/02/28 18:25:16 -35.824 -73.414 35.0 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
MAP 5.0 2010/02/28 18:19:53 -34.845 -71.605 35.0 LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
MAP 4.8 2010/02/28 18:14:12 -34.374 -73.583 35.0 OFF COAST OF LIBERTADOR O'HIGGINS, CHILE
MAP 4.9 2010/02/28 16:05:34 19.158 121.319 41.0 BABUYAN ISLANDS REGION, PHILIPPINES
MAP 4.8 2010/02/28 16:03:40 -37.476 -73.409 35.0 BIO-BIO, CHILE

[Megan]

Death toll going to over 700 now:



http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/28/chile.quake/index.html?hpt=T1

OVER 700?!!? Just yesterday afternoon it was 77. WOW. This is depressing. :(

[Zerozx]

(4 hours ago)

Number of dead after Chile earthquake jumps to 708, president Michelle Bachelet says.

Death toll in Chile earthquake passes 700 - http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/28/chile.quake/index.html?on.cnn=1


Santiago, Chile (CNN) -- The death toll from Saturday's 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile has risen to 708, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said.

Calling it an "unthinkable disaster," Bachelet said a "state of catastrophe" in the hardest-hit regions would continue, allowing for the quick restoration of order and speedy distribution of aid.

Despite looting concerns in some areas, Bachelet said her government reached an agreement with the country's major supermarkets that would allow them to give away basic foodstuffs they have in stock to those affected by the quake.

Thirty-six hours after the massive earthquake, distribution of electricity remained a key challenge, the president said.

Chile has received many offers of international aid, and will accept the help that it needs, Bachelet said.

"This will take a great effort from all sectors, public and private," she said.

The armed forces would be available to help with security and the distribution of food, she added.

The president said she hoped that the airport in Santiago, the capital, would reopen to private, public and commercial air traffic in the coming hours.

The airline LAN Chile said that three flights left from Peru to Chile on Sunday, one of them landing in Santiago. These flights were not commercial, but were transporting Chileans stranded in Peru back to their country, LAN Chile Spokesman Roberto Davila told CNN en Español.

The quake comes at a time of transition for Chile. President-elect Sebastian Piñera, who is slated to take office in March, sought to rally spirits in an interview with Radio Bio Bio Sunday afternoon.

"Chile is a country that has been hit many times by adversity in its history and we have known in the past how to face adversity," Piñera said. "And I hope today our character is stronger than ever."

The quake struck before dawn Saturday, toppling thousands of houses, affecting 2 million people and dealing a serious blow to one of Latin America's most stable economies.

The Chilean Red Cross reported that some 500,000 homes suffered considerable damage as a result of the quake.

More than 90 aftershocks had been recorded, ranging from 4.9 to 6.9 in magnitude.

Of the 708 reported dead as of Sunday afternoon, 541 had died in Chile's Maule region, and 64 in the Bio Bio region, both in south-central Chile. Some 103 people died in other areas.

"I am certain that these are numbers that will continue to grow," Bachelet said.

In Concepcion, the capital of the Bio Bio region, video showed collapsed walls of buildings, now exposing twisted pieces of rebar. Whole sides of buildings were sheared off, and at least two structures caught fire. Emergency teams rescued 30 people from one collapsed building.

The country's major north-south highway was severed at multiple points; and the capital city's airport was closed after its terminal sustained major damage.

In the city of Constitucion, more than 60 bodies were found and placed in a makeshift morgue inside the gym of a local school, a federal police officer said.

Buildings lay in rubble, bridges and highway overpasses were toppled and roads buckled like crumpled paper. Mangled cars were strewn on highways, many of them resting on their roofs.

"The television fell, all the decorations fell. Everything you can imagine was on the floor," Santiago resident Juan Vivanco told CNN en Español.

Vivanco said he waited until the shaking stopped before climbing down 17 flights of stairs to exit his apartment building. At his home, as with many others in the capital, the building exterior showed few, if any, signs of damage, while inside, things were a mess.

Saturday's quake was 700 to 800 times stronger than the 7.0-magnitude quake that struck Haiti in January, leaving 212,000 people dead and more than a million homeless.

It also occurred at a greater depth -- 21.7 miles -- compared to the shallow 8.1-mile depth of the Haiti quake, which contributed to much of the damage there.

Coastal Chile has a history of deadly earthquakes, with 13 temblors of magnitude 7.0 or higher since 1973, the U.S. Geological Survey said. As a result, experts said, newer buildings are constructed to help withstand the shocks.

One major concern on Sunday was security, said the mayor of Concepcion, Jacqueline Van Rysselberghe.

Desperate residents scrounged for water and supplies inside empty and damaged supermarkets. On Sunday morning, authorities resorted to tear gas and water cannons in some instances to disperse looters.

Looting was being done not just by desperate residents, but by others who saw an opportunity to steal, Van Rysselberghe said.

In addition to food and emergency supplies, looters were taking from appliance and electronics stores, she said.

"They are robbing everything," she said, asking for a strong military response in her city to restore calm.

Some small business owners had resorted to protecting their shops with rifles and shotguns, and the current police force was inadequate, she said.

Piñera warned Sunday that looting could get worse as nightfall approaches, calling for the government's help in restoring public order.

"Tonight we will experience a very, very difficult situation with public order, particularly in the area of Concepcion," Piñera told Radio Bio Bio.

For its part, the city government was distributing water from the central plaza, Van Rysselberghe said.

Saturday's epicenter was just a few miles north of the largest earthquake recorded in the world: a magnitude 9.5 quake in May 1960 that killed 1,655 and unleashed a tsunami that crossed the Pacific.