05 March 2010
	101 Earthquake in Chile By Razina Munshi

How serious was the earthquake in Chile? The quake measured 8,8 on the Richter scale, making it one of the most powerful in a century, and worse than the 7-magnitude convulsion that hit Haiti in January. It caused a tsunami which engulfed seaside towns. The death toll is over 700. Why was Haiti's death toll so much bigger? Eight Haitian cities and towns suffered "violent to extreme" shaking which killed about 220 000 people. Despite the Chilean quake being more potent, no town suffered more than "severe" shaking. Why were the effects less severe? Chile's quake was centred offshore, about 34 km underground, near a relatively unpopulated area. In Haiti, the quake struck 13 km from the surface, on the edge of the capital. Chile is also wealthier and better prepared. It has strict building codes, an experienced disaster response system and a history of seismic activity. The quake occurred along a 40 200 km zone of seismic and volcanic activity around the Pacific. Will copper production be affected? Chile is the world's biggest producer and prices rose sharply amid fears about supply. But most mines were unaffected and others that suspended output because of power cuts have resumed operations. US Geological Survey & FM research