Hawaii scheduled for a 3:19 CST tsunami
- Thread starter FlabLoser
- Start date
it's about 500 times as strong. The Richter scale isn't so effective for large earthquakes. It has been superseded by the moment magnitude scale, which better estimates the 'power' of a large earthquake, and is roughly calculated as 10^(x*1.5), where x is the seismograph reading. So this quake is relatively 10^(1.8*1.5) or about 500 times as powerful as the Haitian earthquake.
I don't understand the calculations very well, but the usgs has a page that explains it and a calculator that will calculate the stength difference. Here is the link
Nonetheless, that a huge MFer of an earthquake. Luckily, compared to Haiti, I don't think the population exposure was quite as high in this one at the most intense areas of shaking. And, I assume the population that was exposed to it doesn't live in quite the destitute conditions that the Haitians did. Hopefully, there won't be an outcome remotely close to what happened in there and these Tsunami warnings are merely precautionary.
Nonetheless, that a huge MFer of an earthquake. Luckily, compared to Haiti, I don't think the population exposure was quite as high in this one at the most intense areas of shaking. And, I assume the population that was exposed to it doesn't live in quite the destitute conditions that the Haitians did. Hopefully, there won't be an outcome remotely close to what happened in there and these Tsunami warnings are merely precautionary.
Another thing that saved Chile were strict building codes. They've had some very strict codes in place since their 1960 record setting earthquake (a 9.5)... Looks like the death toll may be in the low hundreds. Very bad still but not for a 8.8 earthquake.
This quake hit in fairly shallow water, compared to the 2004 Tsunami.
But I am by no means an expert.. Guess we'll find out in a few minutes..
But I am by no means an expert.. Guess we'll find out in a few minutes..