Earthquake of 1960 in Chile

The Earthquake of 1960 to the Chile took place the May 22nd 1960 with 19:11 UTC. Its the magnitude, highest ever recorded, was estimated at 9,5. Its epicentre was located in the south of Chile, meadows of Valdivia to approximately 700 km in the south of Santiago.

This seism, which had been preceded by a series by earthquakes a magnitude higher than 8 on a tape by 1 300 kilometers in the north of the epicentre, was caused by the slip of the Nazca plate of approximately 18 m under the South American plate.

The modification thus caused of the ocean floor, which rose of more than 6 m at this place, created a Tsunami which immediately devastated the Chilean coast. The tsunami traversed then the Pacific Ocean and reached after 3 p.m. Hilo, with Hawaii with more 10 000 kilometers of the epicentre where it made considerable damage with waves of 10 m, and caused the death of approximately 200 people. It continued its way through all Pacific to the coasts of the Japan and the New Zealand, the Samoa and the Marquesas Islands where many damage was recorded.

Following this earthquake, one observed many modifications of the coastal region of Chile.

The full number of died of the combination earthquake/tsunami was estimated at approximately 3000, mainly with Chile, the alarm system of the tsunamis having made it possible to limit the number of dead in the coastal regions of the Pacific.

List of the earthquakes

Simple: Great Chilean Earthquake

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Earthquake of 1960 in Chile

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