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BREAKING NEWS: 8.8-magnitude quake hits near Concepcion, Chile

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J

jpderrida

Banned
waves between 1m and 3m will reach a large area from Hokkaido to Okinawa, between 1-4 pm Japan

Aomori and Miyagi prefectures will most likely be hit

more than 56,000 evacuated on northern Japan
 
N

noah111

Still Alive
Wtf? Someone twittered that a 6.9 quake has hit Japan? Also see CNN about Japan doing some major evacuation drills, dunno what's going on but that's a shitton of quakes in one/two days.
 
E

expy

Banned
Sentry said:
Wtf? Someone twittered that a 6.9 quake has hit Japan? Also see CNN about Japan doing some major evacuation drills, dunno what's going on but that's a shitton of quakes in one/two days.
Click to expand...
All linked to the same tectonic plate. Not unusual, just rare.
 
S

Socreges

Banned
expy said:
Not unusual, just rare.
Click to expand...
rare   [rair] Show IPA
–adjective,rar·er, rar·est.
1.
coming or occurring far apart in time; unusual; uncommon: a rare disease; His visits are rare occasions.

;)
 
E

expy

Banned
Socreges said:
rare   [rair] Show IPA
–adjective,rar·er, rar·est.
1.
coming or occurring far apart in time; unusual; uncommon: a rare disease; His visits are rare occasions.

;)
Click to expand...
Not unusual.
=p
 
R

ronito

Member
expy said:
Not unusual.
Click to expand...
tom_jones_180569g.jpg
 
E

Ether_Snake

安安安安安安安安安安安安安安安
SomeDude said:
A lot of people on youtube is saying this was caused by HAARP
Click to expand...

Well darn must be true!

They have been saying this about every fucking earthquake.
 
R

ronito

Member
Oh great. Looking at some mormon sites a bunch of people are sure this is a "sign of the times" a sign that Jesus is returning soon. No, it's an earthquake.
 
Z

Zerokku

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
ronito said:
Oh great. Looking at some mormon sites a bunch of people are sure this is a "sign of the times" a sign that Jesus is returning soon. No, it's an earthquake.
Click to expand...

I was mormon for 17 years of my life.

Every waking moment for them is a "sign of the times".
 
H

Hitokage

Setec Astronomer
ronito said:
Oh great. Looking at some mormon sites a bunch of people are sure this is a "sign of the times" a sign that Jesus is returning soon. No, it's an earthquake.
Click to expand...
It's even sillier when people get shocked about seismic activity in Indonesia. The whole area is filled with mini plates.
 
K

KRS7

Member
Something happened a long time ago in Chile and people might not want to talk about it.

They were under the heel of the alliance of Bolivia and Peru, you know War of the Pacifc and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said 'We will serve you if you will help us annex Bolivia's coast' True story. And so the devil said, 'Ok it’s a deal.' And they kicked the asses of both Peru and Bolivia. The Chileans warred and got something themselves free. But ever since they have been cursed by one thing after another.

-Pat Robertson

j5b8zt.jpg
 
W

wRATH2x

Banned
So someone help me out here.

I don't remember much about the scale and magnitude of earthquakes, but I do know that 8.8 is huge. But how huge?
 
M

Malleymal

You now belong to FMT.
something is off... and I see this slowly moving into the norm for next couple years.. something needs to fix itself ..
 
F

Furoba

Member
Wrath2X said:
So someone help me out here.

I don't remember much about the scale and magnitude of earthquakes, but I do know that 8.8 is huge. But how huge?
Click to expand...

The Haïti 7.0. Earthquake was 32 megatons, in comparison, this 8.8 earthquake was 15.8 gigatons, almost 1000 times as strong.
For comparison: the biggest nucleair explosion, the Tsar Bomba, was 50 megatons.
 
W

wRATH2x

Banned
Furoba said:
The Haïti 7.0. Earthquake was 32 megatons, in comparison, this 8.8 earthquake was 15.8 gigatons, almost 1000 times as strong.
For comparison: the biggest nucleair explosion, the Tsar Bomba, was 50 megatons.
Click to expand...
FUCK! :O

I can not imagine how they're feeling!
 
H

harSon

Banned
Horrible news :(

Even as a Californian, I can't even imagine an 8.8 earthquake, it's especially scary that modern buildings under building codes are still being destroyed with ease. I wish the best for all those involved.

I also can't help but feel sorry for Haiti as well, they're still in dire need of assistance and these Earthquakes/Tsunamis are most likely going to divert much of the help that's currently there.
 
V

v4gr4nt

Member
"Luckily" Chilean buildings are built with earthquakes in mind, but there are things that can´t be predicted, specially with the way the ground moves (vertically,horizontal, elliptical, etc.).
All my family and friends are ok, but I feel sorry for the people at Concepcion, the photos and videos are frightening.
 
C

Caturro

Member
The ONEMI (National Emergency and Information Office) has officially recognized their failure in predicting the tsunamis due to technical failures. After one whole day of authorities saying that there was no danger of tsunami, now we know that entires villages and even some cities like Cauquenes and Talcahuano were hit by tsunamis, in Cauquenes specificially the water level went up to 20 meters thanks to an overflowed river nearby.

This plus the newly built highways in Santiago and apartment buildings in Concepcion that were easily destroyed by the earthquake will mean that many heads will roll.
 
A

Altazor

Member
So... many people has resorted to looting in Concepcion. Now, I know this is a delicate subject, since it involves theft, but people involved justifies it saying they have no water, no food and there are lots of families starving. I get that. But then they show images of people getting LCDs and computers out of the stores... and there's no electricity at all in the city! It's kind of a mixed bag: in one hand you've got people in need who are looting only to feed their families and in the other hand you've got simple thieves who saw this as a chance to make a few bucks and/or get things they can't normally afford.

Such a sad situation.
 
S

Shanoa

Banned
Altazor said:
So... many people has resorted to looting in Concepcion. Now, I know this is a delicate subject, since it involves theft, but people involved justifies it saying they have no water, no food and there are lots of families starving. I get that. But then they show images of people getting LCDs and computers out of the stores... and there's no electricity at all in the city! It's kind of a mixed bag: in one hand you've got people in need who are looting only to feed their families and in the other hand you've got simple thieves who saw this as a chance to make a few bucks and/or get things they can't normally afford.

Such a sad situation.
Click to expand...

Yes that was sad, i understand the situation and some supermarkets had agreed permission to take food from their stores, but i don't understand what's the point on steal a LCD TV, computers or washing machines.

At least the president is in talks with the principal companies of the country to find a way to help people, Bachelet rules.
 
V

v4gr4nt

Member
I know GAF hates FOX, but I thought it was an interesting read

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - The earthquake in Chile was far stronger than the one that struck Haiti last month — yet the death toll in this Caribbean nation is magnitudes higher.

The reasons are simple.

Chile is wealthier and infinitely better prepared, with strict building codes, robust emergency response and a long history of handling seismic catastrophes. No living Haitian had experienced a quake at home when the Jan. 12 disaster crumbled their poorly constructed buildings.

And Chile was relatively lucky this time.

Saturday's quake was centered offshore an estimated 21 miles (34 kilometers) underground in a relatively unpopulated area while Haiti's tectonic mayhem struck closer to the surface — about 8 miles (13 kilometers) — and right on the edge of Port-au-Prince, factors that increased its destructiveness.

"Earthquakes don't kill — they don't create damage — if there's nothing to damage," said Eric Calais, a Purdue University geophysicist studying the Haiti quake.

The U.S. Geological Survey says eight Haitian cities and towns — including this capital of 3 million — suffered "violent" to "extreme" shaking in last month's 7-magnitude quake, which Haiti's government estimates killed some 220,000 people and left about 1.2 homeless. Chile's death toll was in the hundreds.

By contrast, no Chilean urban area suffered more than "severe" shaking — the third most serious level — Saturday in its 8.8-magnitude disaster, by USGS measure. The quake was centered 200 miles (325 kms) away from Chile's capital and largest city, Santiago.

In terms of energy released at the epicenter, the Chilean quake was 501 times stronger. But energy dissipates rather quickly as distances grow from epicenters — and the ground beneath Port-au-Prince is less stable by comparison and "shakes like jelly," says University of Miami geologist Tim Dixon.

Survivors of Haiti's quake described abject panic — much of it well-founded as buildings imploded around them. Many Haitians grabbed cement pillars only to watch them crumble in their hands. Haitians were not schooled in how to react — by sheltering under tables and door frames, and away from glass windows.

Chileans, on the other hand, have homes and offices built to ride out quakes, their steel skeletons designed to sway with seismic waves rather than resist them.

"When you look at the architecture in Chile you see buildings that have damage, but not the complete pancaking that you've got in Haiti," said Cameron Sinclair, executive director of Architecture for Humanity, a 10-year-old nonprofit that has helped people in 36 countries rebuild after disasters.

Sinclair said he has architect colleagues in Chile who have built thousands of low-income housing structures to be earthquake resistant.

In Haiti, by contrast, there is no building code.

Patrick Midy, a leading Haitian architect, said he knew of only three earthquake-resistant buildings in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country.

Sinclair's San Francisco-based organization received 400 requests for help the day after the Haiti quake but he said it had yet to receive a single request for help for Chile.

"On a per-capita basis, Chile has more world-renowned seismologists and earthquake engineers than anywhere else," said Brian E. Tucker, president of GeoHazards International, a nonprofit organization based in Palo Alto, California.

Their advice is heeded by the government in Latin America's wealthiest nation, getting built not just into architects' blueprints and building codes but also into government contingency planning.

"The fact that the president (Michelle Bachelet) was out giving minute-to-minute reports a few hours after the quake in the middle of the night gives you an indication of their disaster response," said Sinclair.

Most Haitians didn't know whether their president, Rene Preval, was alive or dead for at least a day after the quake. The National Palace and his residence — like most government buildings — had collapsed.

Haiti's TV, cell phone networks and radio stations were knocked off the air by the seismic jolt.

Col. Hugo Rodriguez, commander of the Chilean aviation unit attached to the U.N. peacekeeping force in Haiti, waited anxiously Saturday with his troops for word from loved ones at home.

He said he knew his family was OK and expressed confidence that Chile would ride out the disaster.

"We are organized and prepared to deal with a crisis, particularly a natural disaster," Rodriguez said. "Chile is a country where there are a lot of natural disasters."

Calais, the geologist, noted that frequent seismic activity is as common to Chile as it is to the rest of the Andean ridge. Chile experienced the strongest earthquake on record in 1960, and Saturday's quake was the nation's third of over magnitude-8.7.

"It's quite likely that every person there has felt a major earthquake in their lifetime," he said, "whereas the last one to hit Port-au-Prince was 250 years ago."

"So who remembers?"

On Port-au-Prince's streets Saturday, many

people had not heard of Chile's quake. More than half a million are homeless, most still lack electricity and are preoccupied about trying to get enough to eat.

Fanfan Bozot, a 32-year-old reggae singer having lunch with a friend, could only shake his head at his government's reliance on international relief to distribute food and water.

"Chile has a responsible government," he said, waving his hand in disgust. "Our government is incompetent."
Click to expand...

http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/hot_stories/compare-chile-quake-haiti-quake-20100227

fake edit: The president, Michelle Bachellet, has just said that there are 708 death as of now

:(
 
K

Kandinsky

Member
So im in Buin(20 mins from Santiago) and just got told to hold water because we're not getting it for the next day or two, WTF?!
 
G

gunther

Member
Im from Chile and people need to shut of theirs tv. News reporting inflates everything, the quake was big but we where prepared. So most of the destruction is localized, as you can see in most pictures. the Tsunamis where really small only affecting places near the beach(20 to 50 meters). Besides the center part of chile cant have tsunamis cause a geographic thing in the sea(english knowlegde failure :lol ).
 
Thaedolus

Thaedolus

Gold Member
ronito said:
Oh great. Looking at some mormon sites a bunch of people are sure this is a "sign of the times" a sign that Jesus is returning soon. No, it's an earthquake.
Click to expand...
Dude can you blame them? It's not like earthquakes happen every day! Or have been happening since the Earth was formed!

Oh, I've already had a back-and-forth about this with my crazy aunt up in Cache Valley. It's more fun when they're your family members.
 
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