Foo - 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile

After trying to communicate with my peers in Chile for hours, I finally could get a call trough. 8.8 massive earthquake struck the country. My coworker over there is ... well... pretty shaken up.

My prayers with them, let's hope for little/no loss of life.

PS: CNN Linky here (http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/27/chile.quake/index.html?hpt=T1)

8.8 is massive....I truly hope it turns out to be minimal...but I fear it could be devastating.
What did your friends in Chile say, Ruben?

My prayers are with the Chileans this morning.

He said this one was the biggest earthquake he has ever experienced... after shocks were many too, very violent. His home looked like it had been struck by a tornado, every single piece of furniture got moved around. Most people were staying outside on the streets and away from any structure fearing they could collapse on an aftershock. Lots of ruble on the streets, no power, no water. Only cellphones were working, with difficulty to get calls through... a very scary picture.

He said this one was the biggest earthquake he has ever experienced... after shocks were many too, very violent. His home looked like it had been struck by a tornado, every single piece of furniture got moved around. Most people were staying outside on the streets and away from any structure fearing they could collapse on an aftershock. Lots of ruble on the streets, no power, no water. Only cellphones were working, with difficulty to get calls through... a very scary picture.

Sounds like Haiti....again prayers for everyone down there.

8.8!? :eek:
holy smokes...

I can only hope that they do not wind up like Haiti, without food or water.

And then there's the tsunami warning for the entire pacific, which can be devastating, but at least they have a warning.

8.8!? :eek:
holy smokes...

I can only hope that they do not wind up like Haiti, without food or water.

And then there's the tsunami warning for the entire pacific, which can be devastating, but at least they have a warning.

Not that severe right now, although these things are always subject to update.

Edit: Hawaii does currently have a tsunami warning, rest of Pacific Coast only has advisories (consult your local department of emergency management, not Foo, if you reside in areas of concern.)

I'm on the east coast, and even then, fairly inland. There'd have to be a 1km tall tsunami in the Atlantic for any tsunami warning to occur here. But the only thing that would cause that is a 100~300m asteroid taking a dip into the Atlantic.

I'm on the east coast, and even then, fairly inland. There'd have to be a 1km tall tsunami in the Atlantic for any tsunami warning to occur here. But the only thing that would cause that is a 100~300m asteroid taking a dip into the Atlantic.

incorrect....there's a Canary Island , La Palma, that has parts sliding towards the ocean. It is expected that someday it will fall into the ocean and create a wave that will make the 2004 (wow, was it really that long ago?) Christmas Day tsunami look like a pebble toss into a lake.

http://geology.com/news/2005/09/atlantic-ocean-tsunami-threat.html

Tsunami warning sirens were just sounded in Honolulu.

8.8 is a monster. Even some of the aftershocks have been well over 6. It will be a while before the full amount of destruction is known.

Haiti,Japan (http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/3382536/Earthquake-rocks-Japan) and now Chile have all had big (7 plus) earthquakes recently. I wonder who is next.

incorrect....there's a Canary Island , La Palma, that has parts sliding towards the ocean. It is expected that someday it will fall into the ocean and create a wave that will make the 2004 (wow, was it really that long ago?) Christmas Day tsunami look like a pebble toss into a lake.

http://geology.com/news/2005/09/atlantic-ocean-tsunami-threat.html

20m wouldn't make it here. 100m+ might.

May they all make it safe and alive, although we all know that wont happen :( Mother nature can be rough, thats for sure!

I hope the Chilean people can keep it peaceful and help each other through this time.

I think the earth is finally starting to try and shake us off. Gonna be a rough ride with 8.8 quakes...

The earth isn't doing anything out of the ordinary. It seems that way because population density has been increasing dramatically near hazardous areas. Statistically, the quakes are happening like they always have.

I'm only about 200 yards from the water myself. It was a nervous morning for me. I had my important stuff loaded in my truck ready to drive up the hill if the TV feed of Hilo bay showed a big tsunami. (Maui was 20 minutes behind Hilo). It was an odd feeling watching the TV - wondering if my life was about to get very complicated in the next 10 minutes. Most of the nearby residents loaded up and headed for the hills. It was like a ghost town around here. Cops driving up and down the road with loudspeakers, Helos chasing people off the beaches...

I'm feeling very fortunate to be resting in my space. My heart goes out to the folks in Chile. They must be suffering terribly.

20m wouldn't make it here. 100m+ might.

20m jammed into the St Lawrence would get a *lot* taller. Mother of all tidal bores!