2010 Chile Earthquuake

The 2010 Chile Earthquake occurred off the coast of the Maule region of Chile, on 27 February 2010 at 06:34UTC. The earthquake was a magnitude of 8.8 and lasted about 3 minutes. It was the seventh strongest earthquake recorded in the century. The cities experiencing the strongest shaking—VIII (Destructive) on the Mercalli intensity scale—were Talcahuano, Arauco, Lota, Chiguayante, Cañete, and San Antonio. The earthquake was felt in the capital Santiago at Mercalli intensity scale VII (Very Strong). Tremors were felt in many Argentine cities, including Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza and La Rioja. Tremors were felt as far north as the city of Ica in southern Peru. Tsunami warnings were also issued in 53 countries, and a tsunami was recorded, with amplitude of up to 2.6 m high, in the sea at Valparaíso, Chile. The epicenter of the earthquake was offshore from the Maule Region, approximately 8 km west of Curanipe and 115 km north-northeast of Concepción. The earthquake also caused seiches to occur in Lake Pontchartrain to the north of New Orleans, United States, located nearly 7,600 km from the epicenter of the quake.[20]