USGS Screen shot 19:15 hrs 9/16/15
UPDATED WITH Tsunami Alert #3 (at bottom)
#10,530
The USGS is reporting a very large, and relatively shallow earthquake off the coast of Chile. Originally reported as a M7.9, the USGS has just upgraded it to M8.3. There may be further adjustments (up or down) to the intensity of this quake as more readings are analyzed.
While we wait for clarification and word of any damage in Chile, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a Tsunami Watch for the Hawaiian Islands.
BULLETIN
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
108 PM HST WED SEP 16 2015TO - EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IN THE STATE OF HAWAII
SUBJECT - TSUNAMI WATCH
A TSUNAMI WATCH IS ISSUED FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII EFFECTIVE AT
0108 PM HST.AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
ORIGIN TIME - 1255 PM HST 16 SEP 2015
COORDINATES - 20.0 SOUTH 71.3 WEST
LOCATION - OFF THE COAST OF NORTHERN CHILE
MAGNITUDE - 7.9 MOMENTNOTE THAT THIS MESSAGE REFLECTS A CORRECTION TO THE ORIGIN TIME OF THE EARTHQUAK
EVALUATION
BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A TSUNAMI MAY HAVE BEEN GENERATED BY
THIS EARTHQUAKE THAT COULD BE DESTRUCTIVE ON COASTAL AREAS EVEN
FAR FROM THE EPICENTER. AN INVESTIGATION IS UNDERWAY TO DETERMINE
IF THERE IS A TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.IF TSUNAMI WAVES IMPACT HAWAII THE ESTIMATED EARLIEST ARRIVAL OF
THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS0228 AM HST THU 17 SEP 2015
FURTHER MESSAGES WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER AS CONDITIONS
WARRANT UNTIL THE THREAT TO HAWAII HAS PASSED.
UPDATED: Latest Tsunami Message, with forecasted wave heights across the Pacific.
The largest tsunami waves (> 3 meters) can be expected along the Chilean coast. Smaller amplitude waves are possible elsewhere across the Pacific basin over the next 12 to 18 hours. Follow the link for expected arrival times.
TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 3NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
2346 UTC WED SEP 16 2015PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS
---------------------------------* MAGNITUDE 8.3
* ORIGIN TIME 2254 UTC SEP 16 2015
* COORDINATES 31.5 SOUTH 72.0 WEST
* DEPTH 10 KM / 6 MILES
* LOCATION NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL CHILEEVALUATION
----------* AN EARTHQUAKE WITH A PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE OF 8.3 OCCURRED NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE AT 2254 UTC ON WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2015.
* BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA... HAZARDOUS TSUNAMI WAVES ARE FORECAST FOR SOME COASTS.
TSUNAMI THREAT FORECAST...UPDATED
---------------------------------* TSUNAMI WAVES REACHING MORE THAN 3 METERS ABOVE THE TIDE LEVEL ARE POSSIBLE ALONG SOME COASTS OF CHILE.
* TSUNAMI WAVES REACHING 1 TO 3 METERS ABOVE THE TIDE LEVEL ARE POSSIBLE ALONG SOME COASTS OF FRENCH POLYNESIA.
* TSUNAMI WAVES REACHING 0.3 TO 1 METERS ABOVE THE TIDE LEVEL ARE POSSIBLE FOR SOME COASTS OF
MEXICO... ECUADOR... PERU... ANTARCTICA... JAPAN... NEW CALEDONIA... NEW ZEALAND... MARSHALL ISLANDS... FIJI... SAMOA... AMERICAN SAMOA... COOK ISLANDS... TOKELAU... VANUATU... KIRIBATI... JOHNSTON ISLAND... PALMYRA ISLAND... HOWLAND AND BAKER... TONGA... WALLIS AND FUTUNA... PITCAIRN ISLANDS... NIUE... SOLOMON ISLANDS... RUSSIA... HAWAII... AND NW HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
* TSUNAMI WAVES ARE FORECAST TO BE LESS THAN 0.3 METERS ABOVE THE TIDE LEVEL FOR THE COASTS OF EL SALVADOR... GUATEMALA... HONDURAS... COSTA RICA... NICARAGUA... PANAMA... COLOMBIA... AUSTRALIA... PHILIPPINES... TAIWAN... CHINA... NORTHERN MARIANAS... GUAM... PALAU... YAP... POHNPEI... CHUUK... KOSRAE... NAURU... WAKE ISLAND... MIDWAY ISLAND... JARVIS ISLAND... TUVALU... PAPUA NEW GUINEA... INDONESIA... VIETNAM... MALAYSIA... AND BRUNEI.
* ACTUAL AMPLITUDES AT THE COAST MAY VARY FROM FORECAST AMPLITUDES DUE TO UNCERTAINTIES IN THE FORECAST AND LOCAL FEATURES. IN PARTICULAR MAXIMUM TSUNAMI AMPLITUDES ON ATOLLS WILL LIKELY BE MUCH SMALLER THAN THE FORECAST INDICATES.
* FOR OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS PRODUCT A FORECAST HAS NOT YET BEEN COMPUTED. THE FORECAST WILL BE EXPANDED AS NECESSARY IN SUBSEQUENT PRODUCTS.
