Pacific waits for Chile's tsunami waves

by Sail-World & wire services on 28 Feb 2010 Tsunami warnings have been posted around the Pacific, including New Zealand, Mexico, the USA's Hawaii and California, Japan and Russia and the Australian East Coast (south of Queenslands Double Island Point to the southern tip of Tasmania) after a massive earthquake near Chile's second largest city Concepcion.

At least 147 people are dead in Chile following the 8.8 magnitude quake. After the earthquake, a tsunami warning was issued and a wave measuring 2.34 metres was measured in Talcahuano, Chile. Later in the morning a wave of 0.35 metres was measured at Easter Island.



A tsunami advisory is in effect for California, and other areas along the West Coast are taking precautions. Hawaii is currently making plans to evacuate its residents, and as a result, the port of Honolulu has been closed.

A weak tsunami has hit French Polynesia but there's no major damage. Waves struck the Gambier archipelago at 6:30am local time (3:30am AEDT Sunday), the high commissioner's office in Papeete said, as the tsunami raced across the Pacific.

The Marquise islands, northeast of Polynesia, were hit between 7am and 8am by a series of two-metre waves which damaged some boats, but no one was hurt, officials said. Between the waves the sea withdrew around 15 metres, causing rip currents.

Overnight New Zealand Civil Defence had predicted waves of between one and three metres for the Chatham Islands (800km east of the NZ mainland) and Banks Peninsula on the South Island.

However the first wave to arrive in New Zealand reached the Chatham Islands at approximately 7am. (but first wave surge high of only 20cm (8'), since then another 50cm (19' wave has arrived. )

Waiting to hear what happens in the Chathams with particular concern, was the Civil Defence in Canterbury, on NZ's south island

Several hundred residents in low lying areas in Banks Peninsula, nearby had been told to be prepared to evacuate, if Tsunami waves in the Chatham had been of significance.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said tsunami waves could start affecting Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands after 8:30am (AEDT) on Sunday, NSW could be hit after 8:45am (AEDT) today while Queensland could be hit after 8:15am (AEST).

Australian BOM and NZ Civil defence officials have warned that waves could be largest up to six to 12 hours after the first arrivals and strong currents and unusual tidal effects may continue for many hours.

Police services have asked residents NOT to head to beaches to sight-see.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii advised some eight hours ago that a tsunami was possible in the northern Pacific, including the U.S. West Coast and Alaska.

'Sea-level readings confirm that a tsunami has been generated which could cause widespread damage,'

The centre noted that tsunami wave heights are difficult to predict because they can vary significantly along a coast due to the local topography.

Some Pacific nations in the warning area were heavily damaged by a tsunami last year. On Sept. 29, a tsunami resulting from a magnitude 8.3 earthquake killed 34 people in American Samoa, 183 in Samoa and nine in Tonga. Scientists later said that wave was 46 feet (14 metre) high.

Past South American earthquakes have had deadly effects across the Pacific.

A tsunami after the magnitude 9.5 quake that struck Chile in 1960, the largest earthquake ever recorded, killed about 140 people in Japan, 61 in Hawaii and 32 in the Philippines. That tsunami was about 3.3 to 13 feet (one to four metre ) in height, according to Japan's Meteorological Agency.

The tsunami from Saturday's quake was likely to be much smaller because the quake itself was not as strong.