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Washington (AFP) Feb 27, 2010 A powerful 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific Ocean near the coast of central Chile early Saturday and US authorities warned it could generate a tsunami. The epicenter of the tremor, which occurred at 3:34 am local time (0634 GMT), was 99 kilometers (61 miles) west southwest of the Chilean town of Talca and 117 kilometers (73 miles) north northeast from Concepcion, also in Chile, the US Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The survey had initially put the magnitude of the tremor at 8.5 but later adjusted it to 8.3. The location of the epicenter was also slightly corrected. The US Pacific Tsunami warning center issued a tsunami warning for Chile and Peru, and a tsunami watch for Ecuador. It said it was not yet known if a tsunami had been caused but "an earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines within hours." The center warned authorities to take "appropriate action". The quake magnitude reading is based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale which is used by US seismologists and measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released.
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Tsunami-generating quake possible off Indonesia: scientistsParis (AFP) Jan 17, 2010 A huge wave-generating quake capable of killing as many people as in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami could strike off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and the city of Padang is in the firing line, a team of seismologists said on Sunday. The group -- led by a prominent scientist who predicted a 2005 Sumatran quake with uncanny accuracy -- issued the warning in a letter to the journal Nature Ge ... read more |
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