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Strong quake shakes Chile, no damage reported
(Reuters) – A powerful 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck near Chile’s eastern port of Valparaiso early on Tuesday, shaking buildings as far away as the capital Santiago, but there were no reports of significant damage and the country’s main copper mines were unaffected.
One elderly man died as a result of a heart attack brought on by the quake, which struck 26 miles north-northeast of Valparaiso, and 69 miles northwest of the capital Santiago, but there were no other reports of injuries.
State emergency office ONEMI said a stretch of coastline was being evacuated as a precaution, but there was no tsunami alert.
Rodrigo Ubilla, an Interior Ministry undersecretary, said there had been Read more…
The Ring Of Fire Is Roaring To Life And There Will Be Earthquakes Of Historic Importance On The West Coast Of The United States
Does it seem to you like there has been an unusual amount of seismic activity around the world lately? Well, it isn’t just your imagination. The Ring of Fire is roaring to life and that is really bad news for the west coast of the United States. Approximately 90 percent of all earthquakes and approximately 75 percent of all volcanic eruptions occur along the Ring of Fire. Considering the fact that the entire west coast of the United States lies along the Ring of Fire, we should be very concerned that the Ring of Fire is becoming more active. On Wednesday, the most powerful strike-slip earthquake ever recorded happened along the Ring of Fire. If that earthquake had happened in a major U.S. city along the west coast, the city would have been entirely destroyed. Scientists tell us that there is nearly a 100% certainty that the “Big One” will hit California at some point. In recent years we have seen Japan, Chile, Indonesia and New Zealand all get hit by historic earthquakes. It is inevitable that there will be earthquakes of historic importance on the west coast of the United States as well. So far we have been very fortunate, but that good fortune will not last indefinitely.
In a previous article, I showed that earthquakes are becoming more frequent around the globe. In 2001, there were 137 earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater and in 2011 there were 205. The charts and data that I presented in that previous article show a clear Read more…
Chile Earthquake Strikes Today: Panic Felt
Only yesterday we reported on an earthquake in Mexico and earlier today about another earthquake in Hawaii. A further earthquake has now been reported off the coast of Chile with a magnitude of 6.2. There are no reports yet of any people injured or damage but the quake did cause panic.
The quake happened at 1:04 pm local time, that’s 4:04 pm UTC or 11:04 am EST at a depth of 18.5 miles (29.7 km). According to the USGS the epicenter was 31 miles (50 km) north of Concepcion, Bio-Bio, Chile, 49 miles (80 km) southwest of Cauquennes, Maule, Chile, 55 miles (90 km) west-northwest of Chillan, Bio-Bio, Chile or 244 miles (393 km) south-southwest of Santiago, Chile.
The national emergency office of Chile said no immediate reports had come in about injuries. A tsunami warning was not issued. The effects of today’s temblor were widely felt though Read more…
32 Inches Of Snow Falls In Driest Place On Earth!
One of the driest spots on earth has experienced its heaviest snowfall in almost two decades, according to the Chilean Directorate of Meteorology (DMC).
A cold front brought up to 80 centimetres (31.5 inches) of snow to the Atacama desert region of South America forcing emergency services to close local roads and rescue dozens of motorists from their vehicles. The temperature in the Chilean capital, Santiago, dropped below minus 8c on Wednesday. Neighbouring Argentina and Uruguay are also experiencing subzero temperatures.
Located in the north of Chile, the Atacama Desert records less than 50mm of rain on average each year. Some weather stations in the region record only 1-3mm of rain each year. The desert is, according to NASA, National Geographic and many other publications, the driest desert in the world, due to the Read more…
Nearly 100,000 Chilean students demonstrate in Santiago

Santiago – Close to 100,000 Chilean students and teachers demonstrated Thursday in front of the presidential palace in Santiago demanding reform in the country’s public education system.
The conservative government of President Sebastian Pinera has rejected student demands, which include tax reforms to finance education and healthcare and changes in the constitution.
‘They slammed the door on dialogue insofar as they make demands that show they are not in favour of coming to an agreement,’ said Education Minister Joaquin Lavin.
It was one of the largest demonstrations in Chile over the past 20 years. Towards Read more…
Argentina considers OPEC-like deal for lithium

BUENOS AIRES — Argentina is promoting the idea of an OPEC-like cartel for itself, Bolivia and Chile, which together control 85 percent of the world’s reserves of lithium, a key component in electric car batteries.
“In the near future and with our production at such a high level, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile will control the lithium market,” said Rodolfo Tecchi, the director of the technology and science promotion division of the Argentine Ministry of Science and Technology.
“They could do it with a sort of OPEC-like arrangement,” he added.
The three countries, which Forbes magazine calls the “Saudi Arabia of lithium,” would establish “control mechanisms for the sale of lithium carbonate, avoiding Read more…
Indonesia Hit By Strong Earthquake, Latest On Ring Of Fire

Indonesia was hit by a large earthquake and a series of strong tremors Sunday afternoon. A 6.5 magnitude quake, the latest in string of strong quakes to hit the Pacific Ring if Fire region during the last week, struck the country’s easternmost Province of Papua 1.16 p.m. GMT.
The quake was centred 53 kilometres (33 miles) northeast of Waren, a town on the northern coast of Papua island, according to Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency. It was also felt in nearby Biak island, and Enarotali town on the main island The U.S. Geological Survey put the initial quake’s magnitude at 6.4.
The region was hit by at least moderate tremors in the following hours. The tremors measured 5.4 (x2), 5, 4.5 and 4.3 on the Richter Scale. There were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued.
Papua comprises most of the Read more…
Chile’s Puyehue volcano spews lava
Lava has begun spilling from Chile’s Puyehue volcano, 18 days after it first erupted, but there’s no danger to nearby residents, according to the National Service of Geology and Mining.
But the ash cloud created by the eruption continues to wreak havoc on airlines around the world.
The Chilean airline LAN cancelled flights to Temuco and Valdivia in the south of the country, and a number of flights were suspended in Australia and New Zealand.
“Viscous lava has flowed slowly westward in a channel roughly 50 metres wide and 100 metres long,” the national geology service known as SERNAGEOMIN said in its latest report.
Last week, SERNAGEOMIN chief Enrique Valdivieso said the appearance of lava would signal Read more…
Number Of Recorded Earthquakes Rises Sharply

2011 is on target to record the largest number of earthquakes in a single year for at least 12 years.
Research by Irish Weather Online, using data from the US Geological Survey (USGS), has found that earthquake activity (5.0-9.9 magnitude) from 01 January to 19 June 2011 is already exceeding the total annual seismic activity for the years 2001, 2002 and 2003. 2011’s total number of recorded earthquakes is also expected to exceed the most seismically active year of the past 12 years, 2007.
A total of 1,445 earthquakes, ranging in magnitude from 5.0 to 9.9, have been recorded in the year up to 19 June. The total number of earthquakes recorded globally for the entire of 2007 was 2,270.
The massive earthquakes in Japan (2011), Chile (2010), Sichuan (2008), Sumatra (2005 and 2008) and Indonesia (2004) have served to remind us of the devastating impact of earthquakes on life and property. While the number of earthquakes ranging Read more…
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