7.6 Earthquake Chile 4-14

Strong 7.6-Magnitude Aftershock Jolts Chile

Chile and nearby countries are still shaking Wednesday night as aftershocks continue to jolt the region.
The most recent and strongest aftershock yet struck at 7:43 p.m. PDT, 23 km. (14 mi.) south of Iquique, Chile.
Initially, the earthquake was measured as 7.8 magnitude on the Richter Scale, but was eventually downgraded to 7.6. This measurement falls just shy of the main 8.2-magnitude earthquake that struck late Tuesday.
As of Wednesday night, no immediate reports of damage had surfaced. However, the earthquake did prompt a tsunami warning for Chile and Peru.
A precautionary evacuation of low-lying areas on the northern coast was ordered by Chile's Emergency Office, according to the Associated Press.
However, the tsunami warning was canceled at 8:59 p.m. PDT, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
This area has been on alert recently after a magnitude-8.2 megathrust earthquake struck late on Tuesday off the coast of northern Chile and produced a large tsunami, according to U.S. officials.
The quake, which was at a depth of 6 miles and initially rated as a magnitude 8.0, occurred at 4:47 p.m. PDT, according to the United States Geological Survey. Thirty-six aftershocks have been reported since the major quake, including the recently strong 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck at 7:43 p.m. PDT Wednesday.
So far, there have been six deaths as a result of this earthquake, according to the Associated Press.

The Chilean earthquake was detected on a seismograph in the Woolly Hollow State Park in central Arkansas. (Photo/Arkansas Seismic Network, Arkansas Geological Survey)
The 8.2 quake was the result of a megathrust between the Nacza and South America plates near the Chilean coast, the USGS said on its website. The website also showed more than two dozen aftershocks ranging from magnitudes of 4.7 to 7.6.
Chilean officials ordered a coastline evacuation as a result of the quake, The Associated Press reported.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said she declared a state of emergency to "avoid situations of looting and disorder, along with collaborating with the authority of the area in the relief efforts that have already begun."
The earthquake resulted in landslides that blocked roads and caused power outages for thousands of people. An airport was also damaged by the quake while many fires destroyed businesses and homes in the region.
Tsunami heights as high as 7.6 feet were reported at Pisagua, Chile, the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center (NWTC) said.
The quake caused tsunami warnings to be issued for Chile, Ecuador, Panama and Peru. Tsunami watches were issued for Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, the U.S. center said.
These watches and warnings were all canceled by the center on Tuesday night after the threat of a tsunami had passed.
The NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that a tsunami wave of 1.9 feet occurred at Hilo, Hawaii, on Wednesday morning. Kahului, Maui, reported a wave of 1.7 feet. The wave was 1 foot high in Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa.
A tsunami advisory previously issued for Hawaii was canceled Wednesday morning, local time by the Pacific center.

This chart shows the high-water levels associated with the tsunami that moved past Hilo, Hawaii, on Wednesday, April 2, 2014. (Photo/NOAA National Ocean Service)
A much smaller wave occurred along the California coast. The largest California wave was 0.6 feet at Port San Luis.

Dry weather is in store over the next few days in the Chilean city of Iquique as building inspections and cleanup from the earthquake begin.
Authorities were trying to round up about 300 female inmates who escaped from a prison after the earthquake in Iquique, the Associated Press reported. About two dozen were captured. The escape caused Peru to close its border with Chile.

U.S. officials were analyzing the possible tsunami threat to Hawaii and the West Coast. This is a energy map showing the forecast of tsunami waves throughout the Pacific Basin. (Photo/NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center)
Major earthquakes are not uncommon in Chile.
A March 16 earthquake in the same region registered a magnitude 6.7, according to the USGS. More than 60 quakes greater than magnitude 4, and 26 magnitude-5 quakes have occurred since, including three magnitude-6.2 quakes.
An 8.8-magnitude quake rocked Chile in February 2010 offshore 200 miles from Santiago, the nation's capital. The world's largest earthquake, a magnitude 9.5, also struck the country in May 1960.

Eruption Update for April 4, 2014: Ubinas, Chilean volcanoes and Fearmongering
BY ERIK KLEMETTI 04.04.14 | 9:48 AM | PERMALINK
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Parinacota (right) and Pomerape (left), part of the Nevados de Payachata in northern Chile, seen in 2011. Since the April 1 M8.2 earthquake, 3 small temblors have been felt at Parinacota, but likely not related to potential eruptions. Image: Yann Duarte / Flickr
Parinacota (right) and Pomerape (left), part of the Nevados de Payachata in northern Chile, seen in 2011. Since the April 1 M8.2 earthquake, 3 small temblors have been felt at Parinacota, but likely not related to potential eruptions. Image: Yann Duarte / Flickr

Let’s wrap up the week with some volcano news:

Perú

Villages around Ubinas had to be evacuated after explosions rocked the volcano — combined with the elevated seismicity, all signs that the volcano may have larger eruptions in the works. However, it seems like a lack of response from Peruvian authorities have hampered the evacuation. The latest report (from before the most recent explosions) from the IGP says that Ubinas has had persistent fumarolic activity with ash emissions for over a month now, tens to hundreds of long-period and hybrid earthquakes (associated with magma movement) and most tellingly, observations of the crater in early March (and since) have shown a slug of lava in the crater, producing a lava flow/dome of at least 150 meters in size. All in all, it seems that Ubinas might be headed to more explosive eruptions if the lava starts to block the ability of the magma from degassing. When the skies are clearer, you can glimpse Ubinas in this webcam.

Chile

Since the M8.2 earthquake (and its accompanying aftershocks) earlier this week off the coast of Chile near Iqueque, the SERNAGEOMIN has been watching how these temblors affected the volcanoes closest to the epicenter. There are a number of active volcanoes within a few hundred kilometers of that epicenter, including Parinacota, Isluga, Ollagüe, Irruptuncu y Olca, San Pedro, Lascar (and my Ph.D. volcano, Aucanquilcha). Parinacota is still on green alert status even thought three small earthquakes were recorded near the volcano, which is thought to have last erupted over 1700 years ago. For the rest of the bunch, the SERNAGEOMIN has not noted any changes, at least so far. Remember, there is some evidence that large earthquakes can trigger volcanoes to erupt in Chile, but it doesn’t seem to happen after every very large earthquakes as nothing clearly followed the 2010 earthquake that occurred further south down the coast.


Lies and fearmongering

This week was packed full of people trying to scare each other. Luckily, these internet rumors are easily debunked: No, animals are not fleeing Yellowstone because an eruption is about to occur. There isn’t even evidence that the video showing buffalo running (as they wont, sometimes) has the animals running away or towards the caldera! If you need a reminder of why not to believe this nonsense, read my primer on not falling for “Yellowstone is about to erupt” fearmongering (and remember, trust geologists, not animals). We also had a spate of earthquakes that captured a lot of the media’s attention, leading to the usual worry that we’re having more earthquakes.