Earthquake in Chile: FORMOSAT-2 captures images hours after first tremor

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An earthquake of magnitude 8.8 on the Richter scale shook Chile on 27 February. The epicentre was 99 km south-west of the city of Talca.

Concepción, the country’s second largest city 111 km from the epicentre, and the capital Santiago 325 km away sustained serious damage. The quake also triggered a tsunami in the Pacific Ocean.

 

Taiwan’s National Space Organization (NSPO) decided to task its FORMOSAT-2 satellite to cover the area as soon as news of the disaster broke.

The 1st images were acquired hours after the first tremor and made available to the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters. Image of Santiago was acquired on 28 February.

 

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- Satellite imagery of Santiago - Chile - FORMOSAT-2 copyright NSPO Dist. Spot Image -
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Satellite imagery of Santiago - Chile - FORMOSAT-2 copyright NSPO Dist. Spot Image

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Spot Image, the FORMOSAT-2 distributor, has made the 2-metre image of Santiago, acquired on 28 February available to the public.

FORMOSAT-2 has been tasked to image several other areas of interest daily at the request of the Chilean authorities. The satellite has the capability to image any point in Chile every day.
 
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