The 2010 Chile earthquake was a powerful earthquake that struck off the coast of the Maule region in central Chile, among the strongest ever recorded. It was caused by the sliding of the Nazca plate beneath the South American plate, the same subduction zone responsible for many of the country's earthquakes. The shaking caused serious damage in Concepcion and other cities and killed hundreds of people. A tsunami followed, and it hit coastal towns such as Constitucion and the Juan Fernandez Islands especially hard, where warnings were late or confused. The disaster prompted reforms in the national emergency system, and the quake measurably shifted the Earth's axis and shortened the length of the day by a tiny amount.
Before and after
- 20102010 becomes the warmest year on record
- 2010Global life expectancy reaches 70 years
- 4 January 2010Construction of Burj Khalifa
- 12 January 20102010 Haiti earthquake
- 27 February 20102010 Chile earthquake
- from 27 March 2010 to 2 February 2013Premiere of Victorious
- from 5 April 2010 to 3 September 2018Premiere of Adventure Time
- 6 April 2010Founding of Xiaomi
- from 6 April 2010 to 14 December 2010Kyrgyz Revolution of 2010
More in Earth & climate
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 21st century.