The massive earthquake which struck the west coast of Chile last month moved the entire city of Concepción several metres to the west, scientists have said.

Preliminary measurements made using global positioning satellites show that Chile's second largest city, Concepción - located close to the quake's epicentre - is now 3.04 metres further west than it was prior to the 27 February quake. The capital, Santiago, has also shifted some 28 centimetres west.

It was the fifth most powerful quake recorded since it became possible to measure seismic shifts. The quake was also felt on South America's east coast. The Argentinean capital, Buenos Aires, has moved nearly four centimetres west, and significant displacements were recorded as far away as the Falkland Islands in the Atlantic Ocean.