Great Chilean Earthquake

Damage to several houses in Chile after the earthquake

The Great Chilean Earthquake or Valdivian Earthquake was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. The quake occurred in the early evening (19:11 UTC) of May 22, 1960, and had a 9.5 rating on the Moment magnitude scale. The earthquake affected southern Chile, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, and the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.

Its epicenter was Valdivia, Chile. The earthquake caused tsunamis that pounded the Chilean coastline with waves of up to 25 meters. The main tsunami traveled across the Pacific Ocean and caused great damage to Hilo, Hawaii. Waves as high as 10.7 meters (about 35 feet) were recorded 10,000 kilometers from where the earthquake started. These waves travelled as far as Japan and the Philippines.

The total number of deaths from the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Chile has been estimated at 490 to 5700. The Chilean government estimated 2 million people were left homeless and the damage was $550 million USD.

Great Chilean Earthquake Media

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  The Valdivia earthquake (light blue at the bottom left of this graph) released almost a quarter of all global seismic energy between 1906 and 2005

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  USGS ShakeMap for the May 22, 1960 Valdivia earthquake, which at an estimated magnitude of 9.5, is the strongest earthquake ever recorded.

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  Travel time of the tsunami across the Pacific at one-hour intervals

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  Wrecks of Carlos Haverbeck (top) and Canelo (bottom).

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  Hilo, Hawaii, after the tsunami

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  Effect of the tsunami at Kamaishi, Japan

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  Eruption of Cordón Caulle following the earthquake

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  The destroyed center of Corral, Chile

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  Destroyed infrastructure of Altos Hornos y Acerías de Corral, a steel factory closed a few years before the earthquake.

Other websites

• 1960 Chilean Tsunami
• Surviving a Tsunami—Lessons from Chile, Hawaii, and Japan