**There is little difference in people,
but that little difference makes a big difference.
The little difference is attitude. The big difference is
whether it is positive or negative.**
W. Clement Stone
LARGEST QUAKES so far today -
5.1 TARAPACA, CHILE
5.2 TARAPACA, CHILE
5.2 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.1 OFF COAST OF TARAPACA, CHILE
5.7 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.1 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.4 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.0 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.0 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.3 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.0 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.5 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.6 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.2 OFF COAST OF TARAPACA, CHILE
5.7 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.8 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.1 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS REGION
Yesterday, 4/1/14 -
6.2 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.7 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
8.2 OFFSHORE TARAPACA, CHILE
5.3 SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.1 NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION
5.0 VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION
Tsunami alert after 8.2 quake strikes off Chile - 5 dead. A quake of 8.2 magnitude has struck off northern Chile, triggering a tsunami alert and killing at least five people. The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 20:46 local time (23:46 GMT) about 86km (52 miles) north-west of the mining area of Iquique.
The quake was very shallow, only 10km below the seabed. There are reports of 2m (6ft) waves striking some of the Chilean coastline. Chilean authorities have ordered the speedy evacuation of coastal areas. There are some reports of landslides hitting highways and Chilean TV has broadcast pictures of traffic jams as people evacuate coastal areas.
The Chilean interior ministry said that one of the main roads outside Iquique was cut off because of hillside debris on the road. The ministry says that partial landslides have also taken place between the towns of Putre and General A warning from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that the coasts of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua were all at risk of a tsunami.
The Chilean navy said some high waves had hit the coast within 45 minutes of the quake. "We have asked citizens to evacuate the entire coast... there is no serious damage to houses... there have been no people hurt. An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicentre within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours."
There had been several tremors since the last quarter of last year. "But this earthquake ... seemed to last a lot longer. "I was just sitting on my bed and normally these tremors using last at the very longest about 40 seconds - this one felt like it lasted about two minutes. I knew it was bad so I immediately went online to see what had happened and saw a tsunami warning that's been put in place which confirmed my fears that it was a big one." In Arica, there was a big blackout in the town after the quake and they were surprised the telephone line was still working.
Chile is one of the most seismically active countries in the world. Central and southern areas of the country were hit by a powerful earthquake of 8.8 magnitude quake followed by a tsunami that devastated scores of towns in February 2010. In 1960 an area of Chile south of Concepcion was hit by a 9.5 magnitude which caused about 1,655 deaths and a tsunami in Hawaii and Japan.
Authorities kept hundreds of thousands of people out of their beds early Wednesday after the magnitude-8.2 earthquake struck off Chile's northern coast. Five people were crushed to death or suffered fatal heart attacks, a remarkably low toll for such a powerful shift in the Earth's crust.
The extent of damage from Tuesday night's quake couldn't be fully assessed before daybreak. But chile's President wasn't taking any chances. She declared a state of emergency in the region and sent a military plane with 100 anti-riot police to join 300 soldiers deployed to prevent looting and round up escaped prisoners. About 300 inmates escaped from a women's prison in the city of Iquique.
The shaking loosed landslides that blocked roads, knocked out power for thousands, damaged an airport and provoked fires that destroyed several businesses. In Arica, another city close to the quake's offshore epicenter, hospitals treated minor injuries, and some homes made of adobe were destroyed. They extended their tsunami warnings for northernmost Chile long after they were lifted elsewhere. Its mandatory evacuation orders remained in effect until nearly dawn for coastal areas north of Antofogasta, a decision backed by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii. "We regard the coast line of Chile as still dangerous, so we're maintaining the warning."
It was not lost on many Chileans that the last time the president presided over a major quake, days before the end of her 2006-10 term, her emergency preparedness office prematurely waved off a tsunami danger. Most of the 500 dead from that magnitude-8.8 tremor survived the shaking, only to be caught in killer waves in a disaster that destroyed 220,000 homes and washed away large parts of many coastal communities.
The tsunami warning center cancelled tsunami watches for areas other than northern Chile and southern Peru. The only U.S. impact might be higher waves Wednesday for Hawaii's swimmers and surfers. The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported the quake at 8.0, but later upgraded the magnitude of the quake that struck 61 miles (99 kilometers) northwest of Iquique. More than 20 significant aftershocks followed, including a 6.2 tremor. More aftershocks and even a larger quake could not be ruled out said a seismologist.
In Arica, "it quickly began to move the entire office, things were falling. Almost the whole city is in darkness." The quake was so strong that the shaking experienced in Bolivia's capital about 290 miles (470 kilometers) away was the equivalent of a 4.5-magnitude tremor.
Chile is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries because just off the coast, the Nazca tectonic plate plunges beneath the South American plate, pushing the towering Andes cordillera to ever-higher altitudes. The latest activity began with a strong magnitude 6.7 quake on March 16 that caused more than 100,000 people to briefly evacuate low-lying areas. Hundreds of smaller quakes followed in the weeks since, keeping people on edge as scientists said there was no way to tell if the UNUSUAL STRING OF TREMORS was a harbinger of an impending disaster.
VOLCANOES -
Peru - Mayor of Ubinas laments the indifference of the authorities regarding yesterday's volcano eruption. The district mayor of Ubinas (Arequipa) said that he has been working to achieve the relocation of villagers living near the volcano.
He asked the authorities to comply with the emergency law of 2006, a year in which much activity was also recorded in the Ubinas. He said that villagers are aware of the danger, but are disillusioned with the broken promises by the relevant authorities. “They are making an estimate to relocate the residents, but it is a shame that our regional government authorities have done nothing in eight years. It’s unfortunate that the authorities we elected would leave us to die." Residents of Querapi, the area close to the volcano, planned to evacuate to Ubinas, located six kilometers away from the volcano, and then to Pampas de Hawái.
TROPICAL STORMS -
Current tropical storms - maps and details.
No current tropical storms.
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