The earthquake in Chile was detected in all stations of the seismic network in Portugal, with the first waves of the earthquake being recorded at 23:58 yesterday, the 1st, informed the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
IPMA adds that the earthquake, of magnitude 8.2, occurred on April, at 23:46 UTC, off the north coast of Chile, about 100 km NW of Iquique. This earthquake, according to the estimate put forward by the USGS, must have been felt with maximum intensity VIII (Mercalli) in the zone closest to the seismic source.
Given the location and characteristics of this seismic event, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) issued a tsunami warning at a regional scale, and records have already been confirmed in tide stations located in the nearest coastal areas, with maximum wave height 2,1m in Iquique, observed about 15 minutes after the event's origin time. The regional alert was canceled about 5 hours later.
IPMA explains that the earthquake occurs in a tectonic context dominated by the interaction between the Nazca plate and that of South America, which converge at a rate of approximately 7 cm per year.
This region of the globe is marked by the occurrence of earthquakes of great magnitude, such as the one in 1960 (magnitude 9,5), which was the earthquake with the greatest magnitude recorded instrumentally.
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