CHILE: BREAKING: A Massive 8.2 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Coast of Chile; Tsunami Warnings Issued For Chile, Ecuador and Peru.

A 6.2 #aftershock just reported off the coast of #Chile, following the 8.2 #earthquake that struck around 4:45p PT.
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@myfoxla) April 2, 2014

TSUNAMI WARNING: Chile, Peru, Equador. TSUNAMI WATCH: Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador... http://t.co/fjKnk2eU8N
— NWS PTWC (@NWS_PTWC) April 2, 2014

UPDATE: #TSUNAMI WARNING:Chile,Peru,Ecuador, Colombia,Panama #PTWC http://t.co/Ae514PsZWs
— NWS PTWC (@NWS_PTWC) April 2, 2014

Accuweather.com

BREAKING: Magnitude 8.2 Quake Strikes Off Coast of Chile

written by Mark Leberfinger

Tuesday April 1, 2014

A magnitude-8.2 megathrust earthquake struck late Tuesday off the coast of northern Chile and produced a large tsunami, according to U.S. officials.

The quake, which was at a depth of 6 miles and initially rated as a magnitude-8.0, occurred at 4:47 p.m. PDT, according to the United States Geological Survey. Three strong aftershocks, magnitudes 6.2, 5.8 and 5.5, respectively, have been reported since the major quake.

The 8.2 quake was the result of a megathrust between the Nacza and South America plates near the Chilean coast, the USGS said on its website.

Chilean officials ordered a coastline evacuation as a result of the quake, The Associated Press reported.

Tsunami heights as high as 7.6 feet were reported at Pisagua, Chile, the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center said.

The quake caused tsunami warnings to be issued for Chile, Ecuador, Panama and Peru. Tsunami watches were issued for Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, the U.S. center said. The threat for a tsunami to affect Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast was still being evaluated.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage by the quake which could be felt in Bolivia and Peru, The AP reported.

A March 16 earthquake in the same region registered a magnitude-6.7, according to the USGS. More than 60 quakes greater than magnitude-4 and 26 magnitude-5 quakes have occurred since, including three magnitude-6.2 quakes.

Major earthquakes are not uncommon in Chile.

An 8.8-magnitude quake rocked Chile in February 2010 offshore 200 miles from Santiago, the nation's capital. The world's largest earthquake, a magnitude-9.5, also struck the country in May 1960,