One of the biggest earthquakes in history hit Chile last night. It has already generated multiple tsunamis with 9 foot waves striking the Chile coast. Do these earthquakes seem to be coming with more frequency than normal? What would happen if SF or LA got hit with an 8.8 magnitude earthquake? My mother will tell me it is a sign of the end times.
Massive earthquake, aftershocks rattle Chile; tsunami warning issued
- NEW: 78 believed killed; death toll expected to rise
- NEW: Tsunami warning issued for entire Pacific, including Hawaii
- Powerful aftershocks follow magnitude 8.8 quake in Chile
- Building collapses, power outages reported throughout Santiago, Concepcion
(CNN) -- A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Chile early Saturday, killing at least 78 people, producing powerful aftershocks and triggering a tsunami.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located off the coast in Maule, near the city of Concepcion, 212 miles (341 kilometers) from the capital of Santiago. The quake struck at 3:34 a.m. (1:34 a.m. ET).
Government officials expect the death toll to rise.
Concepcion is Chile's second-largest city, with a population of 200,000. There are reports of collapsed buildings in Santiago. The quake was felt in several Chilean towns and in parts of Argentina as well. Some buildings in Buenos Aires were evacuated.
"This is a major event. This happened near some very populated areas," said Randy Baldwin, a geophysicist with USGS. "With an 8.8, you expect damage to the population in the area."
Check out the world's biggest earthquakes since 1900
var currExpandable = "expand1"; var currExpandableHeight = 360;
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning, the highest level of a tsunami alert, for the entire Pacific, including Hawaii.
"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," the National Weather Service said in a statement.
"I urge people in coastal zones to move to higher ground," said President Michelle Bachelet, who declared areas of catastrophe.
USGS geophysicist Vicro Sardina said several tsunami waves had made landfall along the Chilean coast; the largest was recorded at 9 feet and came ashore near the quake's epicenter. The earliest estimated arrival for a wave that could affect Hawaii was 11:19 a.m. local time (5:19 p.m. ET).
Electricity and basic services, including water and telephones, are out in the capital of Santiago. The ceiling of a parking lot in the Las Condes neighborhood came crashing down, pinning at least 50 cars underneath.
'You could feel the walls moving' 
Santiago resident Leo Perioto jumped out of his bed in his apartment at the top of a six-story building.
"The whole building was shaking," he said. "The windows were wobbling a lot. We could feel the walls moving from side to side."
iReport.com: Did you feel it? Share information, images with CNN
Alessandro Perez, who is staying at the Santiago Marriott Hotel, reported shattered windows, but there was no structural damage. No one at the hotel was injured, he said.
Anita Herrera, who works at the Hotel Kennedy in Santiago, said electricity was knocked out at that hotel and guests were nervous.
"Our hotel is built for this," she said. "In Chile, this happens many times."
Officials hoped to learn more about the devastation in the morning.
Chile holds the record for the largest earthquake in the world, according to the USGS. A magnitude 9.5 quake struck the South American country in May 1960 and killed 1,655 people.
31 Comments
tennessee man
oh u mean it could happen right here in the usa??? well i got food for 3 months and water,oh and sum whiskey too......... whats in your pantry/fridge, any reasonable family/person will have at least a months supply....remember kroger will be cleaned out within hours ...........no deliveries..no power.........get a back up plan for your loved ones & be responsible it can happen here...candles r good too..........just a reminder from the hills.....( :
JasonRines
Whippet
Danny Glover was right! We must really have pissed off Gaia! Uncle! Give me Cap n Trade!
pacapcop
There shall earthquakes in diverse places.These are birth pangs leading up to the Lords return.Scripture.
Kill Bill
Kill Bill
Barbarossa
Order in the court! The monkey is about to vote "down"! Vote "down", monkey vote "down"!
Nof
Jim, I also have noted the upswing in EQ's. Having watched these for years, they seem to come in waves. Notice the moon is almost full currently. The sun is also starting to ramp up into solar cycle 24. As to the points Jason brought up, it is possible. Is it something I'm going to lose sleep over? no.
EQ links I monitor frequently: http://www.pnsn.org/recenteqs/latest.htm
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/
Here is the seismograph from Mt. Hood recording the 8.8....
http://www.pnsn.org/WEBICORDER/VOLC/VFP_SHZ_UW_--.2010022700.html
ReverseEngineer
Here is my post from Oct 7, 2008 which kicked off the 81 page Geological and Cosmological Events Watch thread on the Peak Oil message board. I will reopen the thread for Business on The Raging Debate shortly.
RE
-------------
To be consistent with my far out predictions along the lines of the ATM Collapse Watch and my original Gustav posts, I want to start a new thread here on Geologic and Astronomical events. Toyed with calling it the "Earthquake Watch" thread, but given we have a decent size Asteroid hitting tonight, I'm expanding this to Cosmology, not strictly Earthbound Geology.
Anyhow, about the time we got the floods in Iowa, I noticed waht appeared to me to be an increase in geologic activity, severe earthquakes in China which displaced millions in the Guangzhou and Ghuanxi provinces of China, where a good part of their industrial and ag production resides.
Not sure if there is really a significant increase in geologic events right now, but at least reading the MSM over the last year it appears to me that there has been an increase in frequency and in amplitude.
My first hypothesis on the earthquake triggers was a massive shift in water weight across the surface of the planet, as much more goes up into the atmosphere and at different rates depending on the weather around a surface body of water, different stresses would be placed on the crust and the tectonic plates below. This in my mind at least could produce sufficient stress to increase both vulcanism and earthquakes.
However, this physically observable stuff could not explain an increasing frequency or amplitude of cosmologic events like a large asteroid hitting the earth at PRECISELY the time the entire economic system (basically a thought system) is imploding.
In this Watch thread, I'd like for experts here on earth geology to first comment on whether they see an increase in either vulcanism or eathquakes statistically relative to the prior decade as a start. Second would be the Watch on the cosmology. What is the frequency of large meteors hitting the surface of the earth, and are we seeing an increase in frequency over the last year? Is there a reliable reporting system on this?
I will say that if a still bigger chunk of rock than the one grounding out over Europe hits anytime soon, we can definitely chalk it up as the Rapture. It that were to be the case, would that indicate to anyone else here that there is a God? It would seem quite impossible without some connection to the Universe as a whole that you could get cosmological events happening precisely at the time earthbound events like a financial collapse are happening.
Thoughts on this idea are welcome, though granted its quite a far out theory.
Reverse Engineer
Anonymous
GOD or not, im loading the u-haul. hope i can turn the somofabitch in at the pearly gate.
Anonymous
all the bullshit piled up in wash d c has thrown the earth off balance!
Artfuldodger
How are you James? Have you found any good news while I've been gone?