Phenomena
1960 Valdivia Earthquake
Earthquake
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A megathrust earthquake that struck southern Chile on 22 May 1960, the strongest earthquake ever instrumentally recorded at moment magnitude 9.4 to 9.6. The roughly ten minute rupture generated devastating local tsunamis along the Chilean coast and a Pacific wide tsunami that struck Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines, and it remains a foundational event in the study of megathrust earthquakes and tsunami science.
Facts
Magnitude or ScaleMoment magnitude 9.4 to 9.6, the strongest earthquake ever instrumentally recorded 1 LocationNear Lumaco, southern Chile 1 Disputed
Death TollEstimated between 1,000 and 6,000 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
In Discipline
Generated a Pacific-wide tsunami studied as an oceanographic event in its own right.
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