Earthquake strikes Chile
A magnitude 8.8 earthquake has struck central Chile. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center recorded a tsunami wave as high as 9 feet.
TEAM RUBICON IS ON ALERT
(CNN) — An magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck central Chile early Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake’s epicenter was located near the city of Concepcion, 212 miles (341 kilometers) from the capital of Santiago. It struck at 3:34 a.m. (1:34 a.m. ET). Concepcion is Chile’s second largest city with a population of 200,000. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning for Chile and Peru. The center recorded a tsunami wave as high as 9 feet.
According to this map, there have been several quakes and aftershocks along a wide region of the coat. This would appear to be a subduction zone “megathrust” quake along the lines of the sort of quake we can expect soon-ish in the Pacific Northwestern US.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/degree10/290_-35.php
I am going to suspect that roads will be crowded from Santiago. Looking at a map plot of the various quakes, I would be most worried about the city of Talcahuano.
Also note the plight of some of the offshore islands:
SANTIAGO, Chile (Hollywood Backstage) – There have been unconfirmed reports that a gigantic 130 foot Tsunami wave has hit Juan Fernandez Island swallowing the Island after the massive 8.8-Magnitude Earthquake stuck off the coast of Chile.
Talcahuano has the country’s largest naval base so there is likely a usable airstrip there and might be a better injection point than Santiago if you can find some way in there.
An “out of the box” suggestion would be to get to Maquehue Airport (near Temuco) via Puerto Montt in Southern Chile and work your way in “the back way”.