An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck Concepcion, Chile's second largest city, at 20 10 February 27 14: 34 Beijing time, with the epicenter in Biobio, Chile. After the earthquake, there were many aftershocks of magnitude 6.0 or above, which triggered a tsunami and affected many countries including Japan, New Zealand and Australia. Looking back at history, Chile once had the biggest and worst tsunami in the world. Here, we specially choose to publish an article introducing the tsunami to further deepen people's understanding of the phenomena and laws of natural disasters and remind people to prevent and respond to disasters more actively and rationally.
Chile borders the Andes in the east and the Pacific Trench in the west. According to modern plate theory, Chile is in the zone where the Pacific plate collides with the South American plate. Tsunamis caused by undersea earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common natural disasters in Chile. Historically, Chile and some coastal cities on the east coast of the Pacific Ocean have been hit by tsunamis many times.
1960 In May, bad luck enveloped the whole country. From the early morning of May, 2 1, a rare strong earthquake suddenly occurred on the seabed near puerto montt, Chile. It is rare to have a high magnitude, a long duration and a wide range. The earthquake lasted until June 23, and it happened continuously for more than 1 month.
When the May 2 1 earthquake just happened, the vibration was still slight, but this kind of vibration was different from previous earthquakes, and it happened continuously. Then, the amplitude is higher every time, and the vibration is more intense every time. People panicked and staggered out of the house.
At that time, although some unstable houses collapsed and cracked, and occasionally desperate people were crushed to death or injured, some relatively strong buildings were still safe and sound. Because the earthquake didn't start so violently, people still had time to escape and there were not many casualties. However, the continuous shock for two consecutive days makes people feel relaxed and paralyzed. Because the losses were not great, people were not as afraid of earthquakes as they were at first, and some even moved in.
On May 22nd,19: 0011:00, there was a sudden loud noise, which was deafening. The impulse of seismic waves came from the seabed of puerto montt like thousands of tanks. Soon, the earth shook violently. This earthquake is the highest and strongest in the world earthquake history. The magnitude reached 8.9 (later revised to 9.5). It happened at the bottom of the Chile Trench in the Pacific Ocean, near puerto montt. The epicenter was at 3 degrees 2 minutes south latitude and 76 degrees 6 minutes west longitude, and the influence range was within an ellipse 800 kilometers long from north to south. This super-strong earthquake lasted for nearly 3 minutes, which brought serious disasters to local residents. Puerto montt is an important port in Chile, with advanced facilities and large throughput, but
After the earthquake, the sea suddenly receded rapidly, revealing the seabed that had never seen the light of day. Those marine animals such as fish, shrimp, crabs and shellfish are struggling desperately on the beach. Some experienced people know that disaster is coming, and flee to the top of the mountain or board a stranded ship to avoid the coming new disaster. After about 15 minutes, the sea suddenly rose again. Suddenly, the waves surged in and rolled in. The maximum height is 25 meters. Roaring waves crossed the coastline and attacked cities and villages on the east coast of Chile and the Pacific Ocean. The people who stayed in the square, port, wharf and seaside were swallowed up at once, and the ships, ports and wharf buildings on the seaside were smashed to pieces. ...
Immediately, the waves quickly receded. Everything that can be driven away has been swept away by the tide. The ebb and flow of the tide has been repeated for several hours. The cities on the east coast of the Pacific Ocean have just been destroyed by the earthquake and turned into ruins, and now they are frequently washed away by the waves. Those who were buried in the ruins and didn't die were drowned by the raging sea. On several big ships, thousands of people took refuge here. However, as the ship was smashed or sunk by huge waves, it was suddenly swallowed up by the waves, and no one was spared. The Pacific coast with puerto montt as the center was almost looted.
In this tsunami disaster, Chile bears the brunt, and it involves a wide range. Many countries and regions, such as Hawaiian Islands, Japanese, Russian, China and Philippine, on the east and west sides of the Pacific Ocean, have been affected to varying degrees, and some have suffered heavy losses.
After the earthquake, tsunami waves swept across the western Pacific islands at a speed of 700 kilometers per hour. It took only 14 hours to reach the Hawaiian Islands in the United States. When we reached the Hawaiian Islands, the waves were as high as 9- 10 meters. Huge waves destroyed the breakwater on the west coast of Hawaii Island, washed away a large number of trees, telephone poles, houses and building facilities along the breakwater and flooded a large area of land. No. The tsunami wave traveled about 65,438+07,000 kilometers and reached Japan on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. At this time, the waves are still very rough, with the wave as high as 6-8 meters and the maximum wave as high as 8. 1 meter. Rolling waves are ravaging Japan's coastal cities, Honshu, Hokkaido and other places, and ships and various building facilities moored in harbors and coastal harbors. It has been badly damaged. Cities, villages, some houses and some people who haven't had time to escape along the Pacific Ocean have been swept into the sea by this sudden wave. The disaster affected by the tsunami in Chile caused hundreds of people to die in Japan, rushed near 4,000 houses, 100 ships sank, and most of the coastal docks, ports and their facilities were destroyed.
The Chilean tsunami also spread to Russia along the Pacific Ocean. Near kamchatka peninsula and Sakhalin Island, the tsunami waves also reached about 6-7 meters, causing different degrees of damage and loss to houses, ships, docks and people along the coast.
Near the Philippine Islands, the huge waves affected by the Chilean tsunami reached 7-8 meters, and coastal cities and rural residents suffered the same fate. The coastal areas of China are less affected by the tsunami because of the protection of the peripheral islands. However, tidal stations in the East China Sea and the South China Sea recorded turbulent waves caused by earthquakes and tsunamis. In a word, the tsunami in Chile has caused different degrees of damage to most areas along the Pacific coast, and its impact range is rare in history.