Chile Earthquake Can Cause Tsunami
By Arnab, Gaea News NetworkSaturday, February 27, 2010
CHILE (GaeaTimes.com)- A severe Earthquake hit central Chile in early hours of Saturday and the effects were felt in its capital Santiago and the city of Conception. The quake had a magnitude of greater than 8 and hence the shaking sensation was felt very well by the residents. It has been reported that several buildings in Santiago shook for closer to 30 seconds, making the residents panic. The electricity supply got severely hampered and the modes of communication were also affected. Some sources reported that the intensity of the quake was 8.5 while some others said it was 8.8.
Generally, a quake is often associated with the chances of a subsequent tsunami and the US warned of a possibility of a tsunami. TheTsunamialert was initially issued for Ecuador, Peru and Chile but later it was extended to include Costa Rica, Panama, Antarctica and Colombia. In a statement released by the USGS, it was declared that such a massive quake is capable of triggering a tsunami soon. Apart from the power supply, internet connections and telephone lines got damaged due to the calamity. Several residents were left to cope with power cut in the morning hours.
Last time Chile was hit by a severe earthquake in 1960, which had an intensity of 9.5. No report of casualties owing to the latest quake has been reported. At times, such huge quakes cause less powerful quakes in some regions. Therefore, seismologists are not ruling out the chances of another similar quake in the region and monitoring the region.
