2010 Chile earthquake

2010 Chile earthquake
Collapsed building in Concepción.
Damage sustained by a building in Concepción, located around 100 kilometres south of the epicenter.
UTC time2010-02-27 06:34:12
ISC event14340585
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local date27 February 2010 (2010-02-27)[1]
Local time03:34:12 CST (UTC-03:00)
Duration3 minutes
Magnitude8.8 Mww
Depth35 km (22 mi)[2]
30.1 km (19 mi)[1]
Epicenter35°54′32″S 72°43′59″W / 35.909°S 72.733°W / -35.909; -72.733[2]
36°17′24″S 73°14′20″W / 36.290°S 73.239°W / -36.290; -73.239[1]
TypeMegathrust
Areas affectedChile
Max. intensityMMI IX (Violent)[1][3]
Peak acceleration0.65 g[4]
Tsunami24.1 m (79 ft)[5]
Casualties525 dead, 25 missing[6]
The partially collapsed 21-story O'Higgins Tower, Concepción

The 2010 Chile earthquake and tsunami (Spanish: Terremoto del 27F)[7] occurred off the coast of central Chile on Saturday, 27 February at 03:34:12 local time (06:34:12 UTC), having a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, with intense shaking lasting for about three minutes.[8][1][2][9] It was felt strongly in six Chilean regions (from Valparaíso in the north to Araucanía in the south) that together make up about 80 percent of the country's population. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) the cities experiencing the strongest shaking—VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale (MM)—were Concepción, Arauco, and Coronel. According to Chile's Seismological Service, Concepción experienced the strongest shaking at MM IX (Violent).[1][3] The earthquake was felt in the capital Santiago at MM VII (Very strong)[10] or MM VIII.[1] Tremors were felt in many Argentine cities, including Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza, and La Rioja.[11][12] Tremors were felt as far north as the city of Ica in southern Peru (approx. 2,400 km (1,500 mi) away). It is the largest earthquake to hit Chile since the 1960 Valdivia earthquake.

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,[13] and the wave caused minor damage in the San Diego area of California[14] and in the Tōhoku region of Japan, where damage to the fisheries business was estimated at ¥6.26 billion (US$66.7 million).[15] The earthquake also generated a blackout that affected 93 percent of the Chilean population and which went on for several days in some locations.[16] President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" and sent military troops to take control of the most affected areas. According to official sources, 525 people lost their lives, 25 people went missing[6] and about 9% of the population in the affected regions lost their homes.[17]

On 10 March, Swiss Reinsurance Co. estimated that the Chilean quake would cost insurance companies between 4 and 7 billion dollars. The rival German-based Munich Re AG made the same estimate.[18] The losses to the economy of Chile caused by the earthquake are estimated at US$15–30 billion.[19]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Informe de sismo sensible (in Spanish), Servicio Sismológico, Universidad de Chile, 27 February 2010, sismologia.cl, archived from the original on 4 March 2016, retrieved 20 January 2013
  2. ^ a b c "USGS Earthquake Details". United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
  3. ^ a b "M 8.8 - 36 km WNW of Quirihue, Chile". earthquake.usgs.gov. USGS. Archived from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  4. ^ Barrientos, Sergio. "Informe Technico Actualizado 27 Mayo 2010 - Terremoto Cauquenes 27 Febrero 2010" (PDF). Universidad de Chile. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 September 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference CONSTITUCIONNGDC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b "Subsecretaría del Interior de Chile (31 January 2011). "Informe final de fallecidos y desaparecidos por comuna"" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2012.
  7. ^ Labeled by the local media as "27F", probably influenced by Spanish events, such as the 1981 Spanish coup d'état attempt, known as "23F", or the more recent 2004 Madrid train bombings, called the "11M".
  8. ^ "Reuters earthquake report". Reuters. 10 June 2010. Archived from the original on 28 February 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
  9. ^ "Science Highlights 2010 – UNAVCO Event Response – Mw=8.8 Chile Earthquake Feb. 27, 2010". UNAVCO. Archived from the original on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  10. ^ "PAGER–M 8.8–OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE". Earthquake.usgs.gov. Archived from the original on 2 March 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
  11. ^ "Confirman que el sismo de Chile se sintió en Buenos Aires" (in Spanish). Infobae. 27 February 2010. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
  12. ^ "En la región de Cuyo "se sintió muy fuerte" el temblor de Chile". Infobae.com. 27 February 2010. Archived from the original on 2 March 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
  13. ^ "Tsunami After Major Earthquake Hits Chile". Sky News. 27 February 2010. Archived from the original on 2 April 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
  14. ^ "Magnitude 8.8 – OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE". Earthquake.usgs.gov. Archived from the original on 16 March 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  15. ^ Fisheries took ¥6 billion hit from Chile tsunami Archived 15 July 2012 at archive.today, Japan Times. 28 March 2010.
  16. ^ "Apagón en el SIC del 27 de Febrero de 2010". Cdec-sic.cl. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  17. ^ Casen Post-Earthquake Survey Archived 7 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of Planning.
  18. ^ "Swiss Re puts Chile quake insurance cost at $4-7BN". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. 10 March 2010. Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  19. ^ UNEP Year Book2011, An Overview of Our Changing Environment Archived 7 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine, United Nations Environment Programme 2011 page 2

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