Another Strong Aftershock Strikes Chile

Strong aftershock measuring  up to M6.9 strikes Bio-Bio Chile

The aftershock was the strongest aftershock to strike the region in the previous 72 hours.

However, there was no significant damage as a result of the shock, local officials were reported as saying.

The M8.8 megaquake and ensuing giant tsunami waves caused more damage in Chile’s Maule region and  beyond than did the Haiti quake in that  country, making a mockery of the death toll figure provided by the dysfunctional Haiti govt. Fire-Earth estimates that the Haiti quake death toll may have been exaggerated by as much as 100 folds.  Fire-Earth has now revised down its figure for the number of deaths and injures resulting from the Haiti quake to 5,000 (FIVE THOUSAND). [Original caption: An earthquake survivor walks through the city center after it was destroyed by a massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami, in Talcahuano March 4, 2010.] Credit: REUTERS/Mariana Bazo. Image may be subject to copyright.

Yet Another Revised Death Toll by Chilean Govt

Major Chilean newspapers reported on Friday the government had again revised its death toll for Maule region to 316 (previously 587). The epicenter of the M8.8 megaquake was located in the Maule region.

The Tsunami Oops!

Most of the casualties in Saturday’s disasters were killed  NOT by the M8.8 megaquake, but by the three giant tsunami waves that obliterated the coastal population centers hours  later. The Chileans say their govt told them there would be NO risk of a tsunami.

The Chilean Navy has since blamed the catastrophic failure on “a diagnosis error,” admitting that they transmitted “extremely unclear information” to their civilian counterparts. The authorities have since fired head of the Navy’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service [Servicio Hidrográfico y Oceanográfico de la Armada, SHOA,] Commander Mariano Rojas, for failing to issue a tsunami warning [syn: incompetence,] local reports said.

EQ Details

• Magnitude as reported by USGS/EHP: 6.6 [Max magnitude estimated by Fire-Earth: 6.9 Mw]
• Date-Time:
  • Friday, March 05, 2010 at 11:47:10 UTC
  • Friday, March 05, 2010 at 08:47:10 AM at epicenter

• Location: 36.513°S, 73.116°W
• Depth: 35 km (21.7 miles) set by location program
• Region:  OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE

• Distances
  • 35 km (20 miles) N of Concepcion, Chile
  • 90 km (55 miles) W of Chillan, Chile
  • 125 km (80 miles) NNW of Los Angeles, Chile
  • 405 km (255 miles) SSW of SANTIAGO, Chile

• Source: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
• USGS Event ID: us2010tla4

Strong Quake Strikes SW of Sumatra, Indonesia

Meanwhile, a strong earthquake measuring up to 6.8Mw [Fire-Earth estimate] struck SOUTHWEST OF SUMATRA, INDONESIA, at a depth of about 20km on Friday, March 05, 2010 at 16:06:57 UTC.

The epicenter was located at 4.032°S, 100.806°E, USGS/EHP reported.

Distances:

• 165 km (100 miles) W of Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia
• 345 km (215 miles) S of Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia
• 415 km (255 miles) SW of Jambi, Sumatra, Indonesia
• 700 km (435 miles) WNW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia

Related Links:

• Chile Earthquake Links Page
• FEWW Earthquake Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Volcano Links

• For more photos click  Reuters Photo Gallery

 

Chile Lowers Quake Death Toll to 279

ANYTHING is possible in CHILE

How did the Government Count the Dead in Round One?

There’s a time-honored convention, a simple mathematical algorithm for counting things like dead bodies. You look at them, record them in some way and count them.

Only a day or so ago Chilean government put the number of the dead from the M8.8 mega quake and the giant tsunami waves that occurred on Saturday at 802. And the number of missing at about 1,000.

Chilean authorities have sharply lowered the daeth toll 20 279, Reuters reported.

The government did not say whether the new figure could be subject to future downsizing, again.

They haven’t given any explanation, of course, save for a mention in passing that the previous toll had included the number of missing [sic.]

Could it be that the government is in denial because they know they could have at least saved the lives of the tsunami victims?

Fire-Earth is lowering its estimate for the HAITI Quake Disaster from 20,000 dead and injured to less than 5,000 (five thousand). The Moderators would reconsider this estimate if a shred of evidence could be produced.

Another Powerful Aftershock Strikes

Meanwhile, another powerful aftershock measuring up to 6.5Mw struck Antofagasta, Chile about 1,260km north of the capital, Santiago.

The epicenter of the aftershock, which struck at a depth of about 100km, was located at 22.330°S, 68.340°W, USGS/EHP reported.

Related Links:

• Chile Earthquake Links Page

Chile: Two Strong Aftershocks in 8 Hrs

Two strong aftershocks measuring up to magnitude 6.2 and 6.3 strike Bio-Bio and Valparaiso, Chile

The first thing that ought to have come to mind is, thank goodness Chile doesn’t have a nuclear power plant or large scale nuclear waste storage facility. [The country’s two open-pool research reactors (5MWt and 10MWt) are apparently located near Santiago.]

What if megaquakes struck close to a large nuclear power plant, or two?

Earthquake Details

• Magnitude: 6.1 [Max magnitude estimated by Fire-Earth: 6.3 Mw]
• Date-Time:
  • Thursday, March 04, 2010 at 01:59:50 UTC
  • Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 10:59:50 PM at epicenter
• Location: 33.154°S, 72.064°W
• Depth: 34.4 km (21.4 miles)
• Region: OFFSHORE VALPARAISO, CHILE
• Distances:
  • 45 km (30 miles) WSW of Valparaiso, Chile
  • 135 km (85 miles) WNW of SANTIAGO, Chile
  • 165 km (105 miles) NW of Rancagua, Chile
  • 190 km (115 miles) SSW of Illapel, Chile
• Location Uncertainty: horizontal +/- 24.6 km (15.3 miles); depth +/- 4.3 km (2.7 miles)
• Source: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
• Event ID:  us2010tkan

10-degree Map Centered at 35°S,70°W

The two strong aftershocks detailed here are marked in RED on the EQ Location Map. Source: USGS/EHP. Image Edited and Enhanced by FEWW.

Earthquake Details

• Magnitude: 6.0  [Max magnitude estimated by Fire-Earth: 6.2 Mw]
• Date-Time:
  • Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 17:44:25 UTC
  • Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 02:44:25 PM at epicenter
• Location: 36.452°S, 73.069°W
• Depth: 19 km (11.8 miles) set by location program
• Region:  OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE
• Distances:
  • 40 km (25 miles) N of Concepcion, Chile
  • 85 km (55 miles) W of Chillan, Chile
  • 130 km (80 miles) NNW of Los Angeles, Chile
  • 400 km (250 miles) SSW of SANTIAGO, Chile
• Source:  USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
• Event ID us2010tjbk

Tsunami Status

Pacific Ocean Tsunami Warning Center said there were NO Tsunami Warning, Watch  or Advisory in effect.

Related Links:

• Chile Quake Aftermath: Day 5
• Chile Earthquake Links Page

Chile Earthquake Update 2 (Mar 1)

“No Danger of a Tsunami,” Chileans Were Told!

Death toll from Chile megaquake and tsunami surges over 720

“It’s an enormous catastrophe … there’s a growing number of missing people,” Chilean President Bachelet said, as her government dispatched 10,000 troops to enforce curfews in the worst hit areas, especially Chile’s second largest city Concepcion, and prevent alleged outbreaks of looting.

The surviving victims are desperate for food and water, making the government’s “iron-fist” response highly questionable.

The massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck about 115km north-northeast of Concepcion on Saturday, has left many people homeless, and many more have stayed outdoors in tents or makeshift shelters fearing the deadly aftershocks that are powerful earthquakes to be reckoned with.

The megaquake has destroyed or damaged probably as many as half a million homes, wrecked bridges, highways and other infrastructure. There’s  widespread power cuts throughout most of the country.

Criminal Negligence by the Chilean Authorities

Once again fatal errors made by an incompetent military proved fatal for many ordinary Chileans. Many lives could have been saved if the he government experts had sought independent advice concerning the certainty of a tsunami.

It has now been revealed the Chilean government declared immediately after the megaquake struck offshore Maule, “there would be no danger of a tsunami.”  Their fatal error, which they now blame on “incorrect data” supplied by their “Navy experts” probably doubled the death toll as it now stands.

It’s difficult to believe that the average earthquake “expert” would consider an 8.8Mw earthquake striking offshore, especially in an area with previous records of deadly quakes and fatal tsunamis as “no danger.”

Surely, even a university freshman with some understanding of geophysics, earthquakes and tsunamis, and knowledge of earthquake history in the area, facing a magnitude 8.8 quake, could have put two and two together,  at least erring on the side of caution.

The authorities in Japan, a country almost halfway across the world from Chile, took the precautionary measure of evacuating more than a million of their citizens from coastal areas to protect them against potential tsunamis caused by the Dichato quake.

How could the Chilean authorities make such an incomprehensible mistake with such catastrophic consequences?

Aftershocks Update

10-degree Map Centered at 35°S,70°W

Latest EQ Location map. Source: USGS/EHP. Enhanced by FEWW

Since FEWW Chilean Disasters Update # 1 posted yesterday, at least 40 additional aftershock have struck central Chile, with two events measuring M6.0 or greater. The aftershocks should continue to occur for sometime.

Image of the Day

Cars and Dogs seeking safety on higher grounds in case “Navy experts” had made a mistake about the tsunami. [Original caption: Debris is washed up by waves generated by a major earthquake near the epicenter in Dichato February 28, 2010. Credit: REUTERS/Jose Luis Saavedra. Image may be subject to copyright.]

FEWW Estimate of the Quake Damage

Based on the preliminary information available, Fire-Earth Moderators estimate the cost of damage from Saturday’s megaquake at about US$10 billion.

The Moderators believe the Chileans should consider the earthquake and subsequent tsunami disasters as an opportunity and re-build their communities as eco-centered, low-carbon, intelligent communities.

Any more mistakes made by the authorities in the way they handle the quake and tsunami aftermaths could prove even more catastrophic in the near future.

Related Links:

• Chile Earthquake and Tsunami Update 1 (28 Feb)

• Destructive Tsunami Generated by Chile Quake
• Chile 8.8 Megaquake Strikes Offshore Maule
• Earth undergoing significant geophysical disturbances
• Recent Earthquakes ≥ 6.0 Mw
• Powerful Quake Strikes Chile [November 13, 2009]
• The Largest Earthquake

Related Images:

• Reuters photo gallery