QuakeScout
Magnitude8.8

Reviewed by USGSChile Earthquake16y ago

M8.8 earthquake 2010 Maule, Chile Earthquake

Saturday, February 27, 2010, 06:34:11 UTC · 36.122°S, 72.898°W

A magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck 2010 Maule, Chile Earthquake on Saturday, February 27, 2010, 06:34:11 UTC, at a depth of 22.9 km (shallow). USGS received 2,851 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IX (violent). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M9.5 on May 22, 1960.

Magnitude
8.8
Great · mww
Depth
23 km
Shallow
Felt reports
2,851
Max intensity IX
Est. shaking
VIII
Severe (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert
None
Not issued
Tsunami
No flag
USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 400 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

239 megatons of TNT

That is about 15,873 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 501,187 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

107 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.

Depth: shallow

23 km

Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.

Did You Feel It?

Where it was felt

Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.

PlaceIntensityReportsDistance
Santiago, Metropolitana, ChileVII · Very strong925361 km
Concepción, Bío Bío, ChileVIII · Severe15782 km
Mendoza, Mendoza, ArgentinaV · Moderate147518 km
Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, ChileVII · Very strong112367 km
Bariloche, Río Negro, ArgentinaIV · Light70574 km
Córdoba, Córdoba, ArgentinaIV · Light70962 km
Talca, Maule, ChileVII · Very strong54138 km
Temuco, Araucanía, ChileVII · Very strong49291 km
Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaIII · Weak481331 km
Chillán, Bío Bío, ChileVIII · Severe4491 km
Valparaíso, Valparaíso, ChileVII · Very strong43361 km
San Antonio, Valparaíso, ChileVII · Very strong41304 km
I felt it — report to USGS ↗

USGS PAGER estimate

Who was exposed to shaking

USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.

After the main event

Aftershocks within 400 km

USGS lists 1,340 M2.5+ earthquakes within 400 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M7.0 on March 11, 2010. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M4M5M6M7M81h6h1d3d7d14d30dMainshock M8.8
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 4.816 km NW of Arauco, Chile16y ago · 124 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 5.644 km W of Constitución, Chile16y ago · 80 km N of this epicenter
  3. 6.088 km W of Constitución, Chile16y ago · 93 km NW of this epicenter
  4. 4.643 km SW of Cañete, Chile16y ago · 228 km S of this epicenter
  5. 4.671 km NNW of Tomé, Chile16y ago · 39 km W of this epicenter
  6. 4.28 km E of Traiguén, Chile16y ago · 238 km S of this epicenter
  7. 5.269 km NW of Tomé, Chile16y ago · 50 km W of this epicenter
  8. 4.338 km NNW of Talcahuano, Chile16y ago · 53 km SW of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 251 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 9.51960 Great Chilean Earthquake (Valdivia Earthquake)May 22, 1960 · 229 km S of this epicenter
  2. 8.14 km ESE of Cañete, ChileMay 21, 1960 · 194 km S of this epicenter
  3. 7.826 km WNW of San Carlos, ChileJanuary 25, 1939 · 64 km E of this epicenter
  4. 7.838 km WNW of Traiguén, ChileMay 22, 1960 · 216 km S of this epicenter
  5. 7.730 km NNE of Constitución, ChileDecember 1, 1928 · 129 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 7.744 km SSE of Cañete, ChileMay 10, 1975 · 231 km S of this epicenter
  7. 7.7103 km NW of Constitución, ChileJanuary 30, 1914 · 156 km N of this epicenter
  8. 7.523 km SE of Chiguayante, ChileMay 6, 1953 · 108 km S of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 25 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 33,255 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1939M8.3

    Chillan

    25 Jan 1939 · 60 km away · intensity X

    30,000 deaths$920 million damagetsunami

  2. 1960M9.5

    Puerto Montt, Valdivia

    22 May 1960 · 229 km away · intensity XII

    2,226 deaths$1.0 billion damagetsunami

  3. 2010M8.8

    Maule, Concepcion, Talcahuano

    27 Feb 2010 · 0 km away · intensity IX

    558 deaths$30 billion damagetsunami

  4. 1928M7.6

    Talca, Chillan, Santiago, San Fernando

    1 Dec 1928 · 149 km away · intensity IX

    279 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  5. 1751M8.5

    Concepcion, Chillan, Talca, Tutuben, Curico

    25 May 1751 · 138 km away · intensity XI

    65 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  6. 1949M7.3

    Angol, Traiguen

    20 Apr 1949 · 216 km away

    57 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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