As Chile Shook, Cities Shifted to the West

The Earth moved . . . really.

Researchers say that during the massive magnitude-8.8 earthquake that struck Chile on Feb. 27, cities and islands physically shifted west, by as much as 10 feet.

The preliminary measurements were taken from GPS satellites, part of a project to measure coseismic displacements along fault lines in the Central and Southern Andes.

Scientists at Ohio State University and the University of Hawaii working on Project CAP found that the city of Concepcion - the nearest major city to last month's quake - moved at least 10 feet to the west.

Preliminary Coseismic Displacement Field (SOEST, 3/08/10)

Significant displacements were evident as far east as Argentina and as far north as the Chilean border with Peru.

Chile's capital, Santiago, moved just shy of a foot. Buenos Aires, in Argentina, moved an inch.

The Falkland Islands also went a tad west.

Researcher Ben Brooks said this happens with every quake, but usually it is too small to notice.