Small Tsunami Waves from Chile Quake Recorded throughout Pacific

The National Tsunami Warning Centers tsunami forecast. Image-NOAA
The National Tsunami Warning Centers tsunami forecast. Image-NOAA

Tsunami advisories have been issued for several locations throughout the Pacific after the huge earthquake that shook central Chile on Thursday evening taking the lives of at least eight people. The quake was felt throughout much of South America.

15-foot waves struck portions of the coast of Chile, causing as many as a million people to flee their coastal homes, as the tsunami destroyed or damaged dozens of beachfront homes. 

The tsunami fanned out across the Pacific. The initial tsunami wave has already reached Hawaii, with waves measuring about three feet. A further Tsunami advisory has been issued there. While there is not a significant wave expected there, the Pacific Typhoon Warning Center warns that sea level changes and strong currents may pose a danger for swimmers and boaters.

Small wave variations of approximately a foot have been registered in La Jolla, Monterrey Harbor and Santa Monica early Thursday  morning.

Elsewhere in the Pacific, a wave reached the island of Pago Pago at approximately 1:54 am with a wave height of 2.2 feet, and the tsunami was measured at 4.5 feet in Nuku Hiva, another French Polynesian island. New Zealand’s Chatham Islands measured a wave height of 1.2 on Owenga.

Dozens of aftershocks continue to plague Chile and more are expected in the days and weeks to come.

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