An 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile and tsunami warning

Posted By on February 27, 2010

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After tuning into the news early on Saturday following the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake which struck the coast of Chile, I checked back in this afternoon after 4PM as Hawaii waited to feel the effects from the earthquake after a tsunami warning. The large earthquake has taken the lives of over 800 people (edit: 3/4) and expectations are that the low number of deaths is due to a  country and population that was well prepared.

This earthquake, one of the biggest ever measured, struck just after 3:30 in the morning, toppling buildings, collapsing roads, and cutting off power and telecommunications services throughout much of the southern half of Chile. The epicenter was pinpointed offshore, 70 miles northeast of Concepción, Chile’s second-biggest city. Aftershocks are expected to continue for several weeks and tsunami warning extend across the Pacific Ocean.

I spent the afternoon like many people watching live television and web streams from Hawaii. UStream.tv had pretty good coverage, but not much in the way of surf or rising water. About the only noticeable sign was a reef that had significantly more exposed area than a normal low tide. Let’s hope that the lack of significant flooding or damage doesn’t discourage people from preparing the next go around.

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