Breaking: Magnitude 8.2 Earthquake off Chile. Tsunami Warnings Issued

[Atomic Cow]

(CNN) -- An 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Chile on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The quake was centered some 50 miles west-northwest of Iquique at a depth of 6.2 miles.

A tsunami warning was in effect for Chile, Peru and Ecuador.

A tsunami watch was issued for Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/01/world/americas/chile-earthquake/index.html

[DCPatriot]

8.0 is pretty damned serious, isn't it?

[SPQR]

8.0 is pretty damned serious, isn't it?

It is a subduction zone.. Most tsunamis are caused by earthquakes generated in a subduction zone.

http://www.shakeoutbc.ca/downloads/Tsunami_FAQ.pdf

[DCPatriot]

Besides shipping...what land mass is in danger?  Hawaii?

Mexican coast?

[SPQR]

Besides shipping...what land mass is in danger?  Hawaii?

Mexican coast?

That's up to the National Tsunami Warning Center/NOAA to determine the danger

[DCPatriot]

That's up to the National Tsunami Warning Center

Understood....was just visualizing 'ripples' emanating from the Chilean coast

[SPQR]

Understood....was just visualizing 'ripples' emanating from the Chilean coast

PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM
• 1.  Seismic observatories in the region detect an earthquake and send data to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.
• 2.  If the earthquake is in the Pacific basin and above 7.5 on Richter scale, an initial "Tsunami watch" alert is sent out.
• 3.  Data from monitoring stations deep on the seabed near the earthquake's epicentre is checked for signs of a tsunami.
• 4.  If a tsunami is detected, full warnings are sent out via national systems which have been set up in several countries.

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4149201.stm

[mystery-ak]

Apr 1, 8:17 PM EDT

Magnitude-8.0 quake strikes northern Chile



SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- A powerful earthquake has struck in the Pacific off Chile's northern region, and authorities have ordered an evacuation of coastal areas in case of a tsunami. There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0 and struck 61 miles (99 kilometers) northwest of Iquique, Chile, at 8:46 p.m. It hit in an area that has been rocked by numerous quakes over the past two weeks.

The latest tremor shook buildings in parts of the nearby nations of Bolivia and Peru.

[DCPatriot]

PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM
• 1.  Seismic observatories in the region detect an earthquake and send data to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.
• 2.  If the earthquake is in the Pacific basin and above 7.5 on Richter scale, an initial "Tsunami watch" alert is sent out.
• 3.  Data from monitoring stations deep on the seabed near the earthquake's epicentre is checked for signs of a tsunami.
• 4.  If a tsunami is detected, full warnings are sent out via national systems which have been set up in several countries.

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4149201.stm

Thanks for your detailed response, SPQR!   

[SPQR]

Thanks for your detailed response, SPQR!   

You are welcome

[ABX]

Very large earthquakes are not uncommon on that side of South America but it is especially worrisome considering all the ones we've been seeing around LA. Hopefully some of these relieved pressure. I can't imagine what an 8.0 would do on the mainland here.

[SPQR]

PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM
• 1.  Seismic observatories in the region detect an earthquake and send data to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.
• 2.  If the earthquake is in the Pacific basin and above 7.5 on Richter scale, an initial "Tsunami watch" alert is sent out.
• 3.  Data from monitoring stations deep on the seabed near the earthquake's epicentre is checked for signs of a tsunami.
• 4.  If a tsunami is detected, full warnings are sent out via national systems which have been set up in several countries.

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4149201.stm

[mystery-ak]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A massive magnitude 8.0 earthquake on Tuesday off the coast of Chile, near the mining port of Iquique, sparked a tsunami warning for all of Latin America's Pacific coast, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicenter within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours," it said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was very shallow, only 6.2 miles below the seabed. It was centered 53 miles northwest of Iquique, Chile's main mining export port.





being shallow will it make a tsunami less possible or more?

[Atomic Cow]

being shallow will it make a tsunami less possible or more?

More.

And to answer a previous question, ships are not in danger from a tsunami unless they're along the coast.  Out in the ocean, a tsunami is barely noticeable if even that.

[Atomic Cow]

USGS has revised it to an 8.2 at a depth of 12.5 miles.

[NavyCanDo]

Besides shipping...what land mass is in danger?  Hawaii?

Mexican coast?

Hawaii's largest tsunamis originated from Chile earthquakes.

[Atomic Cow]

Hawaii's largest tsunamis originated from Chile earthquakes.

Or the Aleutians.  Today is the anniversary of the 1946 Aleutians quake which caused a tsunami that hit Hilo and killed almost 160.

[mystery-ak]

ABC News
5 mins ·
UPDATE: NWS Eureka, Calif., says as of now, there is no immediate tsunami threat to the US west coast; NWS LA: Conference call at 9:30 p.m. ET with National Tsunami Center; "will update the public as soon as we know something."

[NavyCanDo]

I'm assuming they have Tsunami evacuation routes like we do living on our west coast. If so, watching the live feed shows they are not working real well. The traffic is at a stand still.

[SPQR]

I'm assuming they have Tsunami evacuation routes like we do living on our west coast. If so, watching the live feed shows they are not working real well. The traffic is at a stand still.

That's up to the National Tsunami Warning Center/NOAA /USGS to determine the danger

[SPQR]

Or the Aleutians.  Today is the anniversary of the 1946 Aleutians quake which caused a tsunami that hit Hilo and killed almost 160.

It took 4.5 to 5 hours for the wave to slam into Hilo in 1946.The waves generated spread outward in all directions and travel across the oceans at speeds between 425 and 500 miles per hour.

http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/archive/1994/94_05_20.html

[Chieftain]

It is a subduction zone.. Most tsunamis are caused by earthquakes generated in a subduction zone.

http://www.shakeoutbc.ca/downloads/Tsunami_FAQ.pdf

yep...Southern Hemisphere edge of the Pacific Rim of Fire.  The only place that has more earthquakes and volcanoes is the entire Indonesian archipelago.  There is a permanent hot spot there on top of the subduction zone where Krakatoa used to be, and where Anak-Krakatoa continues to rise.  Ancient Indonesian lore suggests that at one time, Sumatra and Java were one big island until a massive pre-Krakatoa subduction volcanic event cut them in two.  Hawaii sits atop another permanent hot spot in the crust, and you can track the steady movement of the plate the islands sit on by the trail of extinct volcanoes in the Western islands.

Plate tectonics is a fascinating subject, and it wasn't even proposed as a formal theory until 1970 or so.  The first shots at explaining it didn't start until the late thirties and was interrupted by a World War; so everything we think we know is fairly recent but still evolving.

[NavyCanDo]

The Northwest is no stranger to mega subduction zone quakes. At 9PM on January 26, 1700 one of the world's largest earthquakes occurred along the west coast of Washington State. The resulting tsunami reshaped the coast of Japan all the way across the pacific. If that would happen today, and they say its not IF but When the death toll could be in the tens of thousands  from the shaking alone, and  more from the tsunami.

[Oceander]

 Tsunami strikes Chile: Live updates after massive 8.3 magnitude earthquake causes giant wave

    Apr 02, 2014 03:55
    By Ben Rossington

The quake, which struck 50 miles from the coast of Chile, sparked a 6.3ft wave which hit the Chilean port town of Iquique

[ABX]

It was so strong, the USGS seismograph in Nacogdoches, TX picked it up.

http://www.kltv.com/story/25134972/magnitude-82-quake-strikes-northern-chile?utm_content=buffer4a107&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer