Chile has a record of severe earthquakes such as the 8.8-magnitude temblor that struck near the country this morning, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden said today.
“This earthquake in comparison to the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti had 500 times as much energy,” said Paul Caruso. The Haiti quake had a magnitude of 7.0.
The worst earthquake ever recorded in Chile was a magnitude 9.5 in 1960, Caruso said.
In 2009, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the shore of Tarapaca, Chile, he said.
The Nazca plate, located underneath the Pacific Ocean, is shifting to the east in South America and earthquakes are the result of that, Caruso explained.
Caruso said the Haiti quake was caused by two plates moving laterally in different directions. That quake was shallower than today’s.
Previous Chilean quakes sent tsunamis across the Pacific, causing fatalities and damage in the Hawaaian Islands. Today’s earthquake has resulted in tsunami alerts and warnings being issued around U.S. coastal areas including the Hawaiian Islands, California and north toward Oregon.
Annette Espinoza: 303-954-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com
