The Nazca plate is a large tectonic plate that underlies the Pacific Ocean near the western coast of South America. The magnitude of the 1960 earthquake in Chile is roughly 1.3 times that of Haiti's 2010 earthquake. It was located in Valdivia in May,22,1960. They formed part of the foreshock sequence for the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, the largest recorded earthquake in history. About 3,000 people were injured. Chile has been decimated by earthquakes before. Paired arrows indicate plate convergence at 8.4 cm yr-1. Notice any needed corrections? When it was over, the busy harbor town of Valdivia was flattened and entire coastal villages had disappeared. Newsreel describing the Chile earthquake of 1960. The fault-displacement source of the earthquake extended over an estimated 560–620 mile (900–1,000 km) stretch of the Nazca Plate, which subducted under the South American Plate. Suddenly, at two minutes after 6 am local time, the Earth under the coastal town of Concepcion began to shake violently. This quake occurred along the coast of Chile on May 22, 1960. Universal Studios. Chile is not only the longest country on Earth, it is also one of the most earthquake prone nations. This list of earthquakes in Chile includes every known major earthquake that was felt or with its epicenter within Chile's … The Valdivia Earthquake took place on the southern coast of Chile, near the city of Valdivia at 3:11 pm (local time) on May 22, 1960. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 3. Please email us at corrections@wearemitu.com. Earthquakes are caused by movements within the Earth's crust and uppermost mantle.They range from events too weak to be detectable except by sensitive instrumentation, to sudden and violent events lasting many minutes which have caused some of the greatest disasters in human history. The first was on May 21 at 06:02 UTC-4. Other notable shallow tsunami-generating earthquakes include the 1906 M8.5 earthquake near Esmeraldas, Ecuador, the 1922 M8.5 … It hit off the coast of Chile and was a 9.5 magnitude earthquake. It is subducting under (that is, being forced under) the South American plate. Almost every 5 years an earthquake occurs in Chile. Within the next ten minutes two separate 8.6 events merged into the largest earthquake the modern world had ever seen. Cleanup operations commencing in Hilo, Hawaii island, Hawaii, following the tsunami caused by the May 22, 1960, earthquake off the coast of Chile. Updates? The subduction of the fast-moving Nazca Plate has a history of producing massive quakes. He was a research editor with Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. from 2008 to 2016 and worked on Britannica Blog from 2010... Homes in Valdivia, Chile, destroyed by the earthquake of 1960. Examine how the Chile earthquake of 1960 devastated and reduced the entire nation in shambles. (The earthquake of 22-May-1960), A forlorn man sitting amongst the rubble in the city of Valdivia after the 9.5 quake in 1960. Chile was left with major destruction from the earthquake and a large tsunami which swept across the Pacific. Destruction after the largest earthquake of the century in Valdivia on May 22, 1960 Time line of Earthquakes in Chile. In fact, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded was a 9.5 in 1960 in close proximity to the epicenter of Saturday’s quake. Chile is located on a tectonic plate boundary and a subduction zone called the Peru-Chile trench. The waves caused millions of dollars of damage at Hilo Bay on the main island of Hawaii, where they also killed 61 people. On May 22, 1960, the most powerful earthquake in recorded history— magnitude 9.5—struck southern Chile. The responders were interrupted by dozens of aftershocks, whose epicenters slowly migrated south from Concepcion. Since 1900, numerous magnitude 8 or larger earthquakes have occurred on this subduction zone interface that were followed by devastating tsunamis, including the 1960 M9.5 earthquake in southern Chile, the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in the world. The largest earthquake ever recorded in history by a seismograph was the May 22, 1960 earthquake in Chile. It even caused a slight hiccup to the unstoppable rotation of our planet, making the days a few milliseconds shorter. About 3,000 people were injured. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In the Philippines, tsunami waves left 32 dead or missing. In 1960, Valdivia experienced a magnitude 9.5 earthquake which shook the ground for 12 minutes and killing 1,665 people. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Map depicting the epicentre of the earthquake off the coast of Chile, May 22, 1960. Richard Pallardy received a B.A. It is the strongest earthquake ever recorded. Though the death toll in Chile was never fully resolved, early estimates of deaths worldwide, ranging into the thousands, were scaled back to 1,655. 2. The Cordón-Caulle volcano erupting, Los Lagos, Chile, May 24, 1960. In Chile, the earthquake and the tsunami that followed took more than 2,000 lives and caused property damage estimated at $550 million (1960 dollars). Buildings damaged by earthquake and fire, Castro, Chiloé Island, after the Chile earthquake of May 22, 1960. Various studies have placed it at 9.4–9.6 on the moment magnitude scale. Pop. The combined effects of the disaster left two million people homeless. With a magnitude of 9.5, the earthquake was the most powerful such event of the 20th century. It was actually a series of strong earthquakes that affected Chile between May 21, 1960 and June 6, 1960. From Chile the tsunami radiated outward, killing 61 people in Hawaii and 122 in Japan. As the quake occurred just prior to a revolution in seismologic technology in the 1960s, these figures are based mainly on post hoc analysis. Damage costs were $1 billion (1960 rate). Transcript [Music] ED HERLIHY: The torment of a nation. In fact, during the past 150 years or so, Chile has had more giant quakes with magnitudes of 8 and larger than any other region in to world. A sudden breaking in the rocks along a roughly 560–620-mile (900–1,000-km) stretch of the Nazca Plate caused the earthquake, which has been generally agreed to have had a magnitude of 9.5—the largest earthquake recorded in the 20th century. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Valdivia, ChileAerial view, flying over devastated area. There were four foreshocks bigger than 7.0, including one that was a 7.9.  |  The 1960 Valdivia earthquake (Spanish: Terremoto de Valdivia) or the Great Chilean earthquake (Gran terremoto de Chile) on 22 May 1960 was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/event/Chile-earthquake-of-1960, Michigan State University - The Great Chilean Earthquake of 1960, Examine how the Chile earthquake of 1960 devastated and reduced the entire nation in shambles, Castro, Chiloé Island after the Chile earthquake of 1960, tsunami damage in Hilo, Hawaii after the Chile earthquake of 1960. During the lifetime of this blog alone, a magnitude 8.2 struck in April of last year and a magnitude 8.8 caused major destruction early in 2010. Various shots, ruined buildings, rubble, etc. Newsreel describing the Chile earthquake of 1960. The Japan earthquake of 2011 had a magnitude of 9.0; it spawned a tsunami that killed an estimated 19,300 people in Japan and knocked out the electrical power to Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, creating the world’s second most serious nuclear emergency. Two days later the Cordón Caulle volcano in Chile’s Lake District erupted after nearly 40 years of inactivity, an event thought by some seismologists to be linked to the quake. The Chile earthquake of 1960 remains the largest earthquake recorded to date. Looking at it from a geologic, that is very long term perspective, the 2010 M8.8 temblor was actually a sequitur of the giant quake 50 years earlier. Though the death toll was never fully resolved, early estimates ranging into the thousands were scaled back to 1,655. Though the havoc wreaked by the shaking was not inconsequential, most casualties resulted from the descent 15 minutes later of a tsunami that rose up to 80 feet (25 metres) high on the expanse of Chilean coastline—bounded by the cities of Lebu and Puerto Aisen—that paralleled the subducting plate. The 21st of May 1960 was a Saturday and in Chile most people were preparing for the traditional commemoration of the Battle of Iquique, a naval battle which Chile lost against Peru during the War of the Pacific at the end of the 19th century. It also puts a huge amount of mechanical strain on the western edge of South America. The tsunami, caused by this monster quake, wreaked havoc all across the Pacific, from Hawaii to Japan and Alaska. At the bottom of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the Nazca plate is being forced under the South American plate. 2.226 people were killed and 3,000 were injured. in English from Illinois State University in 2005. 1647. Chile's President Jorge Alessandri called off the festivities and started to coordinate the emergency response to this very severe quake. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 was caused by a magnitude 9.1 earthquake; it killed at least 225,000 people in a dozen countries. Chile has had: (M1.5 or greater) 3 earthquakes in the past 24 hours 11 earthquakes in the past 7 days; 57 earthquakes in the past 30 days; 751 earthquakes in the past 365 days The magnitude of the Valdivia earthquake was between 9.4 – 9.6 which makes it the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. Index maps.a, Plate-tectonic setting of south-central Chile. Other recent earthquakes have caused more damage and loss of life, however. Earthquakes in Chile. #3 It was preceded by three earthquakes known as the 1960 Concepción earthquakes Before the Great Chilean earthquake, three earthquakes struck Chile which were a fore-shock to the main event and are known as the 1960 Concepción earthquakes. Categories:   The enormity of the seafloor shifts that caused the tsunamis was such that the waves that arrived nearly 15 hours later in the Hawaiian Islands—6,200 miles (10,000 km) away—still crested at nearly 35 feet (11 metres) at landfall in some places. It occurred in the afternoon (19:11 GMT, 15:11 local time), and lasted for approximately 10 minutes. The tsunami traveled across the Pacific Ocean in the hours after the earthquake; the waves killed 61 people in Hawaii, nearly 140 in Japan, and 32 in the Philippines. When they reached the main Japanese island of Honshu 22 hours after their generation, the waves had subsided to about 18 feet (5.5 metres) and laid waste to over 1,600 homes and killed 138 people. The reason why the earthquake accrued is the Nazca Plate has been colliding and subducting underneath the South American plate for thousands of years. Debris from buildings damaged by a nearly 35-foot (11-metre) tsunami, Hilo, Hawaii island, Hawaii. Keep up to date with more stories like this by liking our Facebook page! Humans and chimpanees share 96 percent of the same genome. (hra106), Cooperative Institute for Deep Earth Research (CIDER), Northern California Earthquake Data Center (NCEDC), :  Destruction in the Eastern Aegean Sea, :  An Explosion in Beirut heard all over the Middle East, :  Quake in Turkey highlights the hazard in the East Bay. But nobody knew that the worst was yet to come. International cooperation in this area began following the 1960 Chile earthquake which, at magnitude 9.5, is the largest ever recorded. May 22, 2015 (The earthquake of 22-May-1960) A forlorn man sitting amongst the rubble in the city of Valdivia after the 9.5 quake in 1960. 1) ‘Earthquakes don’t kill people, buildings do’ After being hit by the planet’s largest-ever recorded earthquake back in 1960, Chile developed strict anti-seismic building codes. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The strongest aftershock at 2:55 pm on Sunday reached a magnitude of 7.9. Every once in a while, like during the fatal days in May 1960, this strain is released in a sequence of giant temblors, which cause the Earth to ring. The cities of Puerto Montt and Valdivia experienced extensive damage. Channel 500 Special News Report about the earthquake that struck Chile in 1960 and caused a tsunami that affected much the Pacific. Map showing the extent of the tsunami generated by the Chile earthquake of 1960. Hence in this collision it is pushed down into the Earth's mantle in a subduction zone, technically also called a Wadati-Benioff zone. Though the oblique angle by which the waves approached the Pacific coast of the United States mitigated their force, Crescent City, California, saw waves of up to 5.6 feet (1.7 metres), and boats and docks in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Long Beach were damaged. The combined effects of the disaster left two million people homeless. Source: Press Association. The Chile earthquake of 1960 remains the largest earthquake recorded to date. The entire coastline, which stretches for more than 2600 miles in the north-south direction, is dominated by the collision between the Nazca Plate and the South American continent. The VSP moment for 1960 earthquake totals 9.5 × 10 22 N m, about one fifth of the value estimated for the foreshock-mainshock sequence from seismic methods. Several coastal towns were inundated by a 25-metre (80-foot) tsunami. Huge earthquake hits Chile On May 21, 1960, the first tremor of a series hits Valdivia, Chile. Earthquakes in Chile. largest earthquake ever recorded. A fault line, more than 600 miles long ruptured and left devastation, destruction and a giant tsunami in its wake. The 1960 Chile earthquake was the largest earthquake of the 20th Century. This map shows the rupture areas (pink) of the last two giant earthquakes in Chile, the 9.5 quake of 1960 and the 8.8 quake of 2010. The first Concepción earthquake struck at 06:02 on 21st May 1960. Chile 1960 Earthquake Rita Rodriguez Great Chilean earthquake Is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. Chile was hit by 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4 and more in 1960. 1960 Chile earthquake. Its epicenter was near Cañete, Bío Bío Region, Chile, and its magnitude was 8.1 or 8.3 M W and 7.3 or 7.5 M S. This earthquake, which lasted 35 seconds, destroyed a third of the buildings in the city of Concepción. As our map shows, it ruptured a part of the Chilean coast immediately north of the gigantic rupture plane of the 9.5 earthquake, which happened 55 years ago today. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/day-1960-chilean-earthquake-and-tsunami Chile (Click to view larger image.). Because the Nazca Plate carries mostly oceanic crust, it is denser than the mostly continental South America. Map by Diego Melgar, BSL. Article media libraries that feature this video: History of Chile, Chile earthquake of 1960. Omissions? Further inland, giant landslides had buried villages and towns. (Click to view larger image.) Chile earthquake of 1960, the largest earthquake recorded in the 20th century. 1960-06-06 05:55:48 UTC 7.8 magnitude, 15 km depth Puerto Chacabuco, Aisén, Chile 7.8 magnitude earthquake 1960-06-06 05:55:48 UTC at 05:55 June 06, 1960 UTC  |, May 22, 2015  Chile has had a lot of earthquakes. Valdivia earthquake Various studies have placed it at 9.4–9.6 on the moment magnitude scale. The shock of this upward thrust also pushed the water above the plate boundary upward, creating a wave that moved outward in all directions. The earthquake was a megathrust earthquake resulting from the release of mechanical stress between the subducting Nazca Plate and the South American Plate, on the Peru–Chile Trench.Subduction zones are known to produce the strongest earthquakes on earth, as their particular structure allows more stress to build up before energy is released. A series of foreshocks the previous day had warned of the incipient disaster; one, of magnitude 8.1, caused major destruction in Concepción. The event was named after the city most affected by the quake, Valdivia. The biggest earthquake in Chile for 1960 had a magnitude of 9,6 (22/05/1960) b, Documented effects of the 1960 earthquake and its historical predecessors. The strongest known Chilean earthquakes ≥ 8.5 M since the year 1500. The magnitude of the 1960 earthquake in Chile is roughly 1.3 times that of Haiti's 2010 earthquake. The black and white distance scale is in kilometers. Scientists estimate that this earthquake shifted Earth's axis and shortened the length of a day by 1.26 microseconds. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Corrections? Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Only aftershocks above magnitude 6.5 will be listed to prevent cluttering. It struck off the coast of South Central Chile on May 22, 1960. From a plate tectonics point of view, South America is relatively stable, but the Nazca Plate is pushing eastward at a rate of approximately 2 inches per year. The force of the sudden movement along a roughly 560–620-mile (900–1,000-km) stretch of the Nazca plate pushed part of the leading edge of the South American plate upward. Today in Earthquake History This downward movement not only causes tension in the sinking plate itself, which leads to some of the deepest earthquakes in to world. Since that earthquake Chile was struck on February 27, 2010 with an 8.8 earthquake that caused the Earth to spin slightly faster. 1960. The 1960 Valdivia earthquake was the largest event recorded by a seismograph. The rupture zone stretched from estimates ranging from 500 kilometers (311 miles) to almost 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) along the country’s coast. A few minutes later, after this 8.3 magnitude earthquake was over, 125 people were dead and a third of the buildings in town lay in ruins. Many Chilean cities sustained significant damage, including Puerto Montt, where noticeable subsidence occurred, and Valdivia, where nearly half of the buildings were rendered uninhabitable. According to modern calculations, this Great Chile Earthquake of May 22, 1960 had a moment magnitude of 9.5, which makes it the largest earthquake ever recorded, bigger even than the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964, which registered 9.2 on the world record scale. There was another earthquake before and after 1960.

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