The F2-layer critical frequency (foF2) data from several ionosondes are employed to study the long-distance effect of the M8.8 Chile Earthquake of February 27, 2010, on the F2 layer. Significant perturbations of the peak F2-layer electron density have been observed following the earthquake at two South African stations, Hermanus and Madimbo, which are located at great circle distances of ~8,000 and ~10,000 km from the earthquake epicenter, respectively. Simplified estimates demonstrate that the observed ionospheric perturbations can be caused by a long-period acoustic gravity wave produced in the F-region by the earthquake.

Under the assumption of the presence of a medium-scale E × B drift vortex of plasma in the daytime midlatitude F region, and using a simplified ionospheric model, we demonstrate that the E × B drift produces noticeable perturbations in the horizontal distribution of the plasma density in the upper F region. The pattern of ion density perturbations shows two separate medium scale domains of enhanced and reduced ion density with respect to the background. The E × B drift does not produce multiple small-scale ion density irregularities through plasma mixing because of the suppression effect of the field-aligned ambipolar plasma diffusion.