Maule, Chile, earthquake

摘要

On 27 February 2010 a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck the Maule region in central southern Chile. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 35 km and was located 130 km offshore and approximately 300 km south of Santiago. The highest ground accelerations of 0.65g over a 60-second shaking period were recorded at Concepcion. The longest duration of the main shock was three minutes. The earthquake triggered a tsunami which reached a height of 20 metres along part of the Chilean coast and spread 12 km inshore. The tsunami spread across the Pacific Ocean, affecting harbours in California and Japan. In comparison, the 1960 magnitude 9.5 Valdivia earthquake, the 20th century's largest recorded earthquake, occurred 300 km to the south of the Maule event. The earthquake caused 562 fatalities, affected 80% of the Chilean population and caused economic losses of $30bn.