BiotechMashup

The extremely strong earthquake that struck Chile Feb. 27 was a complicated rupture process, scientists say. Quakes with such magnitude virtually penetrate the entire Earth's crust. After closer analysis of the seismic waves radiated by this earthquake during the first 134 seconds after start of the rupture, the researchers came to the conclusion that only the region around the actual epicentre was active during the first minutes.

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) After the quake of Concepción, the remaining gap in the north of Chile now holds potential for a comparable strong quake and is, thus, moving more and more into the focus of attention.

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) The change in the ice mass covering Antarctica is a critical factor in global climate events. Scientists at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences have now found that the year by year mass variations in the western Antarctic are mainly attributable to fluctuations in precipitation, which are controlled significantly by the climate phenomenon El Nino. They examined the GFZ data of the German-American satellite mission GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment).

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) The complex fracture pattern created by the earthquake in Concepción (Chile) on Feb. 27, 2010, was to a certain extent predictable. GPS observations from the years before the earthquake showed the pattern of stresses that had accumulated through the plate movements during the past 175 years in this area.

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) Invasive plant species in Chile pose a higher threat to its neighbor, Argentina, than vice versa. This was concluded by scientists from the University of Concepcion in Chile and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research after analyzing the flora of both countries. In particular, 22 non-native species which occur in Chile on connecting roads leading to Argentina present a high risk according to the researchers, writing in the journal Biological Invasions.

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) Scientific evaluation of the Sendai quake

The high-magnitude earthquake of Feb. 27, 2010 in southern Central Chile closed one of the two remaining seismic gaps at the South American plate boundary. After the quake of Concepción, the remaining gap in the north of Chile now holds potential for a comparable strong quake and is, thus, moving more and more into the focus of attention.

The complex fracture pattern created by the earthquake in Concepción (Chile) on February 27, 2010 was to a certain extent predictable. GPS observations from the years before the earthquake showed the pattern of stresses that had accumulated through the plate movements during the past 175 years in this area.

An 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of central Chile early morning on Saturday, February 27, 2010, about 200 miles southwest of the Chilean capital of Santiago, killing several hundred people and exposing millions of people to strong shaking that toppled many buildings. In addition, a tsunami triggered by the earthquake reverberated through the entire Pacific Ocean.