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The 2010 Chilean earthquake

The 2010 Chilean earthquake occurred off the coast of the Maule Region of Chile 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 90 seconds. It was strongly perceived in six Chilean regions (from Valparaíso in the north to Araucanía in the south), that together make up 80% of the country's population. The cities experiencing the strongest shaking - VIII (Destructive) on the Mercalli intensity scale - were Arauco  and Coronel, Chile. The earthquake was felt in the capital Santiago at Mercalli intensity scale VII (Very Strong).

 

 

Tremors were felt in many Argentine  cities, including Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza and La Rioja. Tremors were felt as far north as the city of Ica  in southern Peru  (approx. 1500 mi./2400 km). The earthquake triggered a tsunami which devastated several coastal towns in south-central Chile and damaged the port at Talcahuano. Tsunami warnings were issued in 53 countries, causing minor damage in the San Diego area of California and in the Tōhoku region of Japan, where damage to the fisheries business was estimated at ¥6.26 billion (USD$66.7 million). The earthquake also generated a blackout  that affected 93% of the country's population and which went on for several days in some locations. President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" and sent military troops to take control of the most affected areas. The latest death toll as of April 7, 2010 is 486 victims (down from 802 reported by the previous administration on March 3).

Seismologists estimate that the earthquake was so powerful that it may have shortened the length of the day by 1.26 microseconds and moved the Earth's figure axis by 8 cm or 2.7 milliarcseconds. Precise GPS measurement indicated the telluric movement moved the entire city of Concepción 3.04 metres (10 ft) to the west. The capital Santiago, suffered a displacement of almost 24 centimetres (10 in) west, and even Buenos Aires, about 1,350 kilometres (840 mi) from Concepción, shifted 3.9 centimetres (1.5 in).

The epicenter of the earthquake was offshore from the Maule Region, approximately 11 km (6.8 miles) southwest of Curanipe and 100 km (71 mi) north-northeast of Chile's second largest city, Concepción. The earthquake also caused seiches to occur in Lake Pontchartrain to the north of New Orleans, United States, located nearly 7,500 kilometres (4,700 mi) from the epicenter of the quake.