Residents of central Chile were jolted out of bed at 3:34 am on February 27, 2010 by a severe earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale. Three hours later, a 6.2 aftershock struck Concepcion and less than two hours after that, another aftershock of 5.5 hit approximately 50 miles from Santiago. There has been at least 90 aftershocks ranging from 4.9 to 6.9 in magnitude.
A tsunami generated by the earthquake struck the island of Juan Fernandez, located 400 miles off the coast of Chile. Three people were killed and 10 people are missing. The waves that hit the coast of Chile were nine feet high. A tsunami warning was issued for all coastal areas of the Pacific but was canceled the following day.
Cause of the Chile Earthquake
The earthquake occurred where the South American tectonic plate meets the Nazca plate. The Nazca plate moved downward and eastward under the South American plate. The quake was classified as a thrust fault. The depth of the earthquake at its epicenter was approximately 21 miles below the earth’s surface.
Damaged Caused by the Chile Earthquake
In Concepcion, bridges and buildings collapsed. Roads buckled and were blocked by debris. There was a report of several trucks falling into chasms created in the ground. Many buildings have collapsed or walls have been sheared off. Some buildings have caught fire. A 15-story building collapsed where 40 to 50 people may be trapped.
Communication lines, electricity and water service have been cut off. People who have been left homeless or injured were wandering the streets. Tents were eventually brought in to serve as temporary shelters.
In Santiago, the airport suffered minor damage and the terminal closed for at least 24 hours for repairs to broken windows, collapsed ceilings and walkways. Many of the new buildings were not damaged because they have been built to resist earthquake damage.
Older buildings were less fortunate. The bell tower on a church fell down and a two-level parking garage collapsed. A bridge outside of the city was knocked down. Thousands of windows were broken. More than 1.5 million people were without water and electricity.
The areas worst hit were farther south of Santiago, in the Maule and Bio Bio regions along the coast. According to a March 1, 2010 CNN news report by Karl Penhaul, "Authorities said 541 of the 708 reported deaths happened in Maule, where a sewer system collapsed, water towers were close to toppling and communities lacked basic services. Many people were without safe drinking water and electricity or gas service in Bio Bio, where 64 deaths occurred."
Looting broke out in the worst hit areas where people were seeking food and supplies. Many supermarkets, appliance stores and gas stations were closed. Local police forces were not able to control the looting and called in the military for assistance. The Chilean government established a food distribution program whereby supermarkets agreed to issue basic food supplies under military supervision.
Health care facilities in northern Chile and in Santiago were not compromised by the earthquake but in areas further south, six hospitals collapsed and two were severely damaged. Four field hospitals were set up but the World Health Organization has appealed to other countries for help in setting up more hospitals and supplying equipment such as generators.
Other Earthquakes in Chile
Chile is well known for earthquakes and the world’s strongest earthquake occurred on May 22, 1960 when a 9.5 magnitude quake struck Valdivia. It triggered a tsunami that threw 75-foot waves on the coastline of Chile and struck Hilo Hawaii 15 hours later where 30-foot waves wiped out the waterfront.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey's report on The Top Ten Strongest Earthquakes in the World, the Chile earthquake of 2010 is tied for the fifth strongest since 1900. Another 8.8 earthquake hit Ecuador in 1906. The second strongest earthquake struck Alaska in 1964 with a magnitude of 9.1. The third strongest was in Sumatra in 2004 where a 9.1 earthquake generated a deadly tsunami in the Indian Ocean. The fourth strongest earthquake occurred in Russia's Kamchatka in 1952 with a magnitude of 9.
Sources:
US Geological Survey. Worldwide Quake Report. February 27, 2010.
Penhaul, Ken. "Chile Races to Deliver Aid, Combat Looting". March 1, 2010. CNN
"Largest Earthquakes in the World Since 1900”, U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Information Center,
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