(CNN) -- A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Chile early Saturday, killing at least 52 people, producing powerful aftershocks and triggering a tsunami.

The epicenter of the earthquake was located off the coast in Maule, near the city of Concepcion, 212 miles (341 kilometers) from the capital of Santiago. The quake struck at 3:34 a.m. (1:34 a.m. ET).

Government officials expect the death toll to rise.

Concepcion is Chile's second-largest city, with a population of 200,000. There are reports of collapsed buildings in Santiago. The quake was felt in several Chilean towns and in parts of Argentina as well. Some buildings in Buenos Aires were evacuated.

'I lost count after 25 aftershocks!'

"This is a major event. This happened near some very populated areas," said Randy Baldwin, a geophysicist with USGS. "With an 8.8, you expect damage to the population in the area."

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* Chile
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* U.S. Geological Survey

Numerous aftershocks, including one that measured 6.9 magnitude, were felt within hours of the initial quake, USGS said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami warning, the highest level of a tsunami alert, for the entire coast of Chile and Peru. A tsunami watch was in effect for Ecuador, Colombia, Antarctica, Panama and Costa Rica. Hawaii was placed under a tsunami advisory.

"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines near the epicenter within minutes and more distant coastlines within hours," the National Weather Service said in a statement.

"I urge people in coastal zones to move to higher ground," said President Michelle Bachelet, who declared areas of catastrophe.

USGS geophysicist Vicro Sardina said several tsunami waves had made landfall along the Chilean coast; the largest was recorded at 9 feet and came ashore near the quake's epicenter. The earliest estimated arrival for a wave that could affect Hawaii was 11:19 a.m. local time (5:19 p.m. ET).

Electricity and basic services, including water and telephones, are out in the capital of Santiago. The ceiling of a parking lot in the Las Condes neighborhood came crashing down, pinning at least 50 cars underneath.

'You could feel the walls moving' Video

Santiago resident Leo Perioto jumped out of his bed in his apartment at the top of a six-story building.

"The whole building was shaking," he said. "The windows were wobbling a lot. We could feel the walls moving from side to side."

iReport.com: Did you feel it? Share information, images with CNN

Alessandro Perez, who is staying at the Santiago Marriott Hotel, reported shattered windows, but there was no structural damage. No one at the hotel was injured, he said.

Anita Herrera, who works at the Hotel Kennedy in Santiago, said electricity was knocked out at that hotel and guests were nervous.

"Our hotel is built for this," she said. "In Chile, this happens many times."

Officials hoped to learn more about the devastation in the morning.

Chile holds the record for the largest earthquake in the world, according to the USGS. A magnitude 9.5 quake struck the South American country in May 1960 and killed 1,655 people.

Stay with CNN.com for more details to this developing story.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/W...tml?hpt=T1

I just heard that on the news. Scary all these earthquakes. Let's hope it doesn't get worse, with the already 25 aftershocks. I heard that 78 people died. Prayers to the victims' families.They also said it is threatening along the coast of Hawaii and Panama. They said that earthquake had "500" times the energy of Haiti's earthquake.


number edit
[Edited 2/27/10 5:35am]

2elijah said:

peacenlovealways said:

Oops, I meant the Chile earthquake had "500" times more energy than the Haiti earthquake. It had an 8.8 magnitude. Scary. Hawaii has been issued a Tsunami warning as well. Makes you wonder what is going on in the world with all these disasters. I'm really not trying to believe that 2012 stuff right now, but it does make you wonder.
[Edited 2/27/10 5:37am]

2elijah said:

I just heard it on the radio, and they said "64 times" more powerful... I'm confused...

each magnitude is 100X more powerful so 500X is about right.
[Edited 2/27/10 7:44am]

Many prayers to the people of Chile. The meteorologist on CNN this morning said the major difference between Chilean earthquak and Haiti's was the depth of earthquake. The Chile earthquke occurred at a geater depth in the earth while Haiti's earthquake occured more up toward the surface or the earth. If that makes any since. I think we have an orger who from/lives in Chile.

chocolate1 said:

both numbers are correct!

A magnitude 8.8 earthquake is 63.095 times bigger than a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on a seismogram, but is 501.187 times stronger (energy release).


http://earthquake.usgs.go...bigger.php

*click the try it yourself link*

I hope all of the orgers around the world stay safe.
Reading BBC news and hearing about the Tsunami warnings.

Even mother earth hates cause and effect.

i'm hearing the death toll is up to about 122.

Chile

We have a Tsunami warning here in Hawaii, things are a little crazy now

kpowers said:

What are the procedure(s) you guys have to follow when you get a Tsunami warning?

Wow. My prayers go out to the people in Chile.

And making a joke about this being Prince's fault was in very poor taste.

kpowers said:

stay safe

TD3 said:

They are providing shelters. Telling us what areas to avoid (beaches, low lands). Mostly if you live on high ground stay there.

paintedlady said:

Thanks, will do

oh wow

kpowers said:

I hope everyone stays safe.
That must be scary.
I used to live in Florida and lived through many Hurricane warnings but Tsunami warnings are a different matter.
Yikes!

There are Tsunami warnings for basically anyone with a coast on the Pacific Ocean.

Including my cousin who is in Hawaii right now !!!

ocean edit
[Edited 2/27/10 13:11pm]

kpowers said:

Be careful.

Anybody watching CNN, Rick Sanchez needs to take a handful of Valium or Xanex, lay off the coke, switch decaf or just yanked off the air.
The dude is really embarrassingly career ending annoying.

violetblues said:

what's the matter with him?

stay safe orgers to the people of Chile

The wave has passed Cali heading north and east, so we're all clear, no breaking news bulletins . . .

Data from the U.S. Geological Survey suggests that this morning's Chile quake tied in fifth place with an 8.8 quake that hit Ecuador and Bolivia in 1906. Only four quakes have been bigger since 1900. The largest was a 9.5 magnitude event that struck Chile in 1960, causing 1,655 fatalities, leaving 2 million homeless, and triggering a tsunami that killed people in Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines.

"This was a big one," said Harley Benz, scientist in charge of the USGS's National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., which monitors global quake activity in real time. "The Chile quake released 500 times more energy than the quake that hit Haiti."

That's because quake magnitudes are calculated on a logarithmic scale. Thus, a magnitude 8 quake releases 33 times the energy as a magnitude 7 quake, and a magnitude 9 quake releases 33 multiplied by 33 times the energy of a magnitude 7 event. The quake that hit Haiti on Jan. 12 was magnitude 7, and the Chile quake was magnitude 8.8 -- which works out to about 500 times more energy.

Aftershocks are a big worry. After the initial quake, some 50 aftershocks have been recorded in Chile of magnitude 5 or larger, according the NEIC. The largest so far was a 6.9 magnitude aftershock. The Chile temblor's aftershock zone -- the area where fault boundary ruptured -- stretches for 600 kilometers, far larger than the 60-kilometer aftershock zone in Haiti.

http://online.wsj.com/art...Collection

the people affected.

that any Chilean orgers are safe

So I hear one just hit central Oklahoma.

RodeoSchro said:

Thanks. Hawaii dodged a bullet there. Nothing really happened.