1994; Somoza 1998). Turning around, they watched the 20-foot-high, nearly vertical front of the wave hit the bridge, and water splashed high into the air. The tremor triggered a giant tsunami which caused destruction and deaths as far away as Japan, around a day later. [64][65] The victim was 5-year-old Jos Luis Painecur, an "orphan" (huacho) whose mother had gone to work as a domestic worker in Santiago and left her son under the care of his father. Debris from the cemetery came to rest more than 3 miles upriver. The chapter also discusses the extent and effects of the hazards; their impacts on the businesses of the city; and the puzzle, despite the occurrence of similar risks, of the continued lack of business continuity planning and programs in the region almost half a century afterward. [11], The 1960 Chilean earthquakes were a sequence of strong earthquakes that affected Chile between 21 May and 6 June 1960, centered in the Araucana, Aysn, and Bo Bo regions of the country. in English from Illinois State University in 2005. For a time she heard a man's voice crying for help-his body was found later. The boats found were used to navigate in Valdivia River and Corral Bay but had drifted into the high sea. Later that Sunday, the magnitude 9.5 mainshock of the 1960 Chile earthquake rocked the region. Regions where it occurs are known as subduction zones. Along with 14 others, the Navarro family spent the night in the loft of Ramn Atala's barn, safe above the tsunami waters that ran beneath them. [24], After the 21 May Concepcin earthquake, people in Ancud sought refuge in boats. The deaths in the area came later, during the tsunami that followed the quake. According to the Wikipedia article "1960 Valdivia earthquake." , The magnitude of the earthquake was 9.4-9.6. Mr. Atala was probably trapped in the warehouse when the second wave of the tsunami washed the building away. Moments later, a wall of water hit the house, floating it off its foundation. Measurements of past tsunamis are commonly used to help identify areas at risk from future tsunamis. This era of prosperity ended with the 1960 earthquake. The 1960 tsunami also deposited sand along the Ro Maulln, some of it on land owned by Juan Vera. It caused 82 foot high waves to travel down the Chilean coast. The bulk of the damage in Puerto Montt was located in the neighborhood of Barrio Modelo and the northern part of Baha Angelm, where artificial fills subsided. It lasted for 11 to 13 minutes and affected all of Chile between Talca and Chilo Island, an area more than 400,000 squarekilometers. Gates, Alexander E.; Ritchie, David. At Mehun, near Queule, Jacinto Reyes buried some of the tsunami victims. Such "subduction zones" are formed where two of the tectonic plates that make up the Earth's outer shell meet. [44][45], Land subsidence in Corral Bay improved navigability as shoal banks, produced earlier by sediments from Madre de Dios and other nearby gold mines, sank and were compacted. Houses built upon elevated areas suffered considerably less damage compared to those on the lowlands, which absorbed great amounts of energy. Estimates were the rupture zone stretched anywhere from 500 kilometers (311 miles) to almost 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) along the countrys coast. There were broken windows and clouds of dust everywhere. The shock is generally agreed to have had a magnitude of 9.5, though some studies alternately proposed that it may have been 9.4 or 9.6. Although he was carried away, his warehouse created a shelter for about 20 people. CORFO acted the secretariat of the committee and was entrusted with the preparation of the reconstruction plan and its detailed execution. Focus is the point where an earthquake originates while epicenter is the point on Earths surface directly above the focus. In Osorno only about 20 houses were totally destroyed, although many firewalls and chimneys collapsed. [56], A whole neighbourhood of Corral, Corral Bajo was wiped by the tsunami, while the nearby upper area, Corral Alto, suffered the loss of about 20 to 30% of its houses. On Sunday, May 22, 1960, Jovita Riquelme took her 5-year-old daughter to Mass in Queule, Chile. [20] This magnitude 7.7 earthquake probably occurred along the Liquie-Ofqui Fault, meaning that the fault would have moved as a consequence of the 22 May Valdivia earthquake. However, Mrs. Riquelme's family remained at their house on low ground near the Ro Queule. It was a very strong tremor, which I have never experienced before in my life. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Then I noticed that people were moving rocks from in front of the bus and there was lots of debris on the road. Nabih Soza, at his store in 1989, remembers Ramn Atala, a fellow merchant in Maulln, Chile. How does the Chile earthquake of 1960 compare with other recent earthquakes? The tremor triggered a giant tsunami which caused destruction and deaths as far away as Japan, around a day later. Though a mile from the sea, most of Queule, Chile, was overrun and washed away by the tsunami that followed the 1960 Chile earthquake. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. Some seismologists believe the eruption was linked to the Valdivia earthquake. The tsunami that followed the earthquake caught the Riquelme family there. The sea was then able to cover coastal pastures, farms, and forests. Some of these areas remain sparsely vegetated while others have naturally developed more or less pure stands of Nothofagus dombeyi. There, just outside La Pasada, Tulio Ruiz found crosses and a full casket. The largest earthquake ever recorded by instruments struck southern Chile on May 22, 1960. At the moment the earthquake hit, we had trouble walking and leaving the classroom, as the movement was so terrible. The weakened road was soon severed by the waves of the tsunami that followed the earthquake, leaving channels too wide even for a horse to jump. El caso de Lota, Chile", "El domingo en que Valdivia sufri el terremoto ms violento del mundo", "Chile | Terremoto de Valdivia: cmo fue el poderoso sismo de 1960, el mayor registrado de la historia Vivienda al Da", "A 60 aos del terremoto de 1960 | Deutsche Wochenzeitung Cndor in Chile", "Further observations of geologic and geomorphic changes resulting from the catastrophic earthquake of May 1960, in Chile", "An Mw =7.7 slow earthquake in 1960 near the Aysn Fjord region, Chile", Revista de la Asociacin Geolgica Argentina, "El "Riihuazo" y su lucha contra la naturaleza", "Investigacin aplicada sobre Geografa Urbana: Un caso prctico en la ciudad de Valdivia", "Genesis y manifestacin de las inundaciones en el sur de Chile", "The Ecological Approach to the Conservation of Plants in Botanic Gardens - The Experience of the Botanic Garden in Valdivia, Chile", "National Strategy for Research, Development and Innovation for a Chile Resilient to Disasters of Natural Origin", "CONSULTATION REPORT ON ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING", "Ancient Chilean tsunami scared local people away for 1000 years", "Predecessors of the giant 1960 Chile earthquake", "Tsunami After Deadly Earthquake Hits Chile", "Chile Earthquake Altered Earth Axis, Shortened Day", "El terremoto chileno del 27 de febrero de 2010: Anlisis preliminar de las consecuencias en la ciudad de Valdivia", 22 May 1960 South Central Chile Tsunami Amplitudes, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1960_Valdivia_earthquake&oldid=1152212584, This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 21:41. Inland from Quenuir, a pregnant Mara Vera and eight others climbed a peta tree on a low plain north of the Ro Maulln (photo below). Minutes after the 1960 Chile earthquake, Ren Maldonado rode his horse on the road from Maulln, Chile. The men set up an observation post on the new bridge and began measuring the water level beneath it. This would have powered the entire United States, at 2005 energy consumption levels, for 740 years.". These losses occurred, in part, because the warning sirens in Hilo on the evening of May 22, 1960, were interpreted differently by different people. This was because it occurred in the afternoon, many of the structures in affected areas were earthquake-resistant and thefore-shocksmade the population wary. "El Canelo", a song by Los Lobos on their 1988 album: La Pistola y El Corazn. The most powerful earthquake ever recorded struck near Valdivia, Chile on May 22, 1960. https://uwsslec.libguides.com/What_A_Disaster, What a Disaster! Cordon Caulle, a nearby active volcano, was ripped open and forced to erupt. Many residents of Queule fled to the safety of high ground soon after the earthquake, but Jovita Riquelme lost her daughter and husband to the tsunami because the family remained at their house on low ground near the Ro Queule. Other recent earthquakes have caused more damage and loss of life, however. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. [75], Creation of a national emergency management agency. By 23 June, the main dam had been lowered from 24 to 15m (79 to 49ft), allowing 3billion cubic metres of water to leave the lake gradually, but still with considerable destructive power. They knew that the 1946 Aleutian tsunami had destroyed the bridge there. There was even talk of a tsunami in Iquique which concerned me as I thought there might be more danger ahead of us. 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 coastlinebounded by the cities of Lebu and Puerto Aisenthat paralleled the subducting plate. There were people running, and there was no electricity, no radio signal, no TV, no internet, nothing. Shaking from the 1960 earthquake not only damaged roads but also caused landslides. Traditional wooden houses fared better; although many were uninhabitable if they did not collapse. The two most affected areas were Valdivia and Puerto Octay, near the northwest corner of Llanquihue Lake. A massive earthquake with a magnitude of 8.8 has hit central Chile, affecting about two million people, officials say. Such coasts surround most of the Pacific Ocean but also include other areas, such as the shores of the Caribbean, eastern Canada, and the Mediterranean. 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. They got far enough to see the first tsunami wave destroy it in front of them. Subduction is a process that occurs at convergent boundaries of tectonic plates due to the movement of one plate under another. Hundreds of people were already reported dead by the time the tsunami struck. The monetary cost of the disaster has been estimated in the range of US$400 million to US$800 million (2.9 to 5.8 billion in 2011, after adjusting for inflation). The 1960 Valdivia earthquake struck Chile on the afternoon of 22nd May 1960, causing widespread damage with Valdivia being the most affected city.Also known as the Great Chilean earthquake, it was a 9.5 M W earthquake making it the most powerful ever recorded till date. Many people in Cascadia may think that "The Big One" -an earthquake of magnitude 9+ will kill them before its tsunami rolls in. A swarm of quakes as large as magnitude 8 had occurred 100 miles to the north the previous day. About 100,000 people lived in the affected zone. Carol was at her family's house on low ground in Hilo when the warning sirens sounded. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Things were pretty chaotic when we arrived as lots of people who work in the city have homes inland where the epicentre of the quake was and were leaving the city to check on their houses and families. [5] Mr. The tremor caused localised tsunamis that severely battered the Chilean coast, with waves up to 25 metres (82ft). Disaster Research Project for 8th Grade Students. BBC News website readers sent their eyewitness accounts of the earthquake which struck northern Chile on Monday. He . The cities of Puerto Montt and Valdivia experienced extensive damage. In other words, the previous and current more widely accepted explanation for the earthquake involves the Peru-Chile Trench slipping further than its accumulated slip deficit (the amount of slip available for an earthquake) should allow. For example, in the town of Huara, more than 60% of houses were reportedly destroyed. Waves wracked coastal communities as far away as New Zealand, Japan, and the Philippines. [39] Around the main city square most buildings collapsed except for Edificio Prales and a few others. Carol's parents took valuables to a relative's house in Papa'ikou, a few miles northwest of Hilo, while Carol and her brother Ernest checked on a niece who was babysitting outside of town. Soon after the earthquake shaking stopped, a man on horseback told her that the sea had receded from shore. These areas include a Native American fishing camp. Everyone started crying and running out of the class. The earthquake killed an estimated amount between 1,000-6,000 people. 1996 - 2023 National Geographic Society. Many aftershocks occurred, with 5 of magnitude 7.0 or greater through Nov 1. In town, he owned a pier and at least one large building and also had private quarters in a waterfront warehouse. [37], The levels of material damage were relatively low given the high magnitude of the earthquake. It is an impressive document that includes the involvement of citizens in committees that are part of the program. 10 Major Accomplishments of Galileo Galilei, 10 Most Famous Paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci, 10 Most Famous Poems By African American Poets, 10 Most Famous Novels In Russian Literature, 10 Major Effects of the French Revolution, 10 Major Battles of the American Civil War, 10 Facts About The Rwandan Genocide In 1994, Black Death | 10 Facts On The Deadliest Pandemic In History, 10 Interesting Facts About The American Revolution, 10 Facts About Trench Warfare In World War I, Batman | 10 Interesting Facts About The Dark Knight. The force of the sudden movement along a roughly 560620-mile (9001,000-km) stretch of the Nazca plate pushed part of the leading edge of the South American plate upward. As many as 6,000 people were killed. In Hawai'i, the tsunami devastated the coastal town of Hilo, killing 61 people. What caused the Chile earthquake of 1960? Because of this, people in Cascadia need to look elsewhere for guidance about tsunami survival. CORFO also created the National Company of Telecommunications (ENTEL) out of a pressing need to improve and modernize communication efforts in times of disaster. Such waves kept arriving for several hours. How much damage was caused by the Chile earthquake of 1960? Its epicenter was near Caete, Bo Bo Region, Chile, and its magnitude was 8.1 or 8.3 M W and 7.3 or 7.5 . Concomitantly, a ministerial-level committee, COPERE (Comisin de Planificacin de la Economa y de Reconstruccin), was officially named as the government's Planning and Reconstruction Committee. The next morning, she found Casa Grande in good shape, its ground floor dry. Surviving a tsunami: lessons from Chile, Hawaii, and Japan, eyewitness accounts of the Pacific Ocean tsunami associated with the giant Chilean earthquake in 1960 and 2010 Corporate author : Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Document code : IOC/BRO/2014/2 (rev.only in Eng) This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This chapter examines retrospectively the impact on the businesses in the city of Valdivia, Chile, of the earthquake and tsunami on "El Da de Los Santos Inocentes". Three quarters of a mile to the south, however, was a barn. All rights reserved. [72], On 27 February 2010 at 03:34 local time, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake occurred just to the north (off the coast of the Maule region of Chile, between Concepcin and Santiago). The cost of the earthquake was estimated between 4 and 7 billion dollars. I cannot describe the feeling is this the one. According to the chronicle of Mario de Lobera, corregidor of Valdivia in 1575, a landslide blocked the outflow of the lagoon of Renigua. The moment magnitude scale (MW) is used to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of energy released. By 1:04 a.m., the men on the bridge realized that they should run the few hundred feet to high ground. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Although Mr. Navarro's wife and children headed for the barn, Mr. Navarro did not go with them. [69] This earthquake was of similar strength and also caused a Riihuazo. The fault-displacement source of the earthquake extended over an estimated 560620 mile (9001,000 km) stretch of the Nazca Plate, which subducted under the South American Plate. Survivors on the roof later pulled the mother's body from the water. Walls from surrounding houses started cracking, glass started to break, and cars started jumping. The route was eastward along an unpaved road, across a bridge over a tidal stream, to uplands called Chuyaqun. As the quake occurred just prior to a revolution in seismologic technology in the 1960s, these figures are based mainly on post hoc analysis. Know about the cause, effects, damage and death toll of the 1960 earthquake in Chile through these 10 interesting facts. Although nearly everyone heard the sirens, only about a third of them thought it was a signal to evacuate without further notice. Go to an Upper Floor or Roof of a Building, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [23], Santiago, another ship anchored at Corral at the time of the quake, managed to leave Corral in a bad state but was wrecked off the coast of Mocha Island on 24 May. 2006. The 1960 Valdivia Earthquake On 22nd May 1960 (14:11 Chile time, 19:11 GMT), the greatest earthquake ever recorded in history, with magnitude of 9.5 degrees on the Richter scale, shocked the coastal regions of southern Chile. She clung to this trunk until the next morning. The lights went out immediately and many of my students had a fit of hysterics. Though the tremor caused significant damage, it was the resulting tsunamis or high waves which were responsible for major destruction. Not all people in the area fleeing the earthquake and the tsunami were as lucky as Mr. Maldonado. Aftershocks were recorded for around a month after the main tremor. The 1960 Valdivia earthquake struck Chile on the afternoon of 22nd May 1960, causing widespread damage with Valdivia being the most affected city. The first of these was the 8.1 Mw Concepcin earthquake at 06:02 UTC-4 on 21 May 1960. Only when they saw a low wall of water less than a mile away did the Navarros head for high ground. This apparently caused the hunter-gatherers of the area to stop living near the coast for the next thousand years or so. During the ride, Mr. Maldonado's horse had to jump newly formed cracks in the road. The Valdivia earthquake occurred at 15:11 UTC-4 on 22 May, and affected all of Chile between Talca and Chilo Island, more than 400,000 square kilometres (150,000sqmi). The chapter also discusses the extent and effects of the hazards; their . [1] After this wave had passed and they thought it was safe, Mr. Eaton and his companions returned to the bridge and continued to record the water level during several more waves of the tsunami (see diagram below). Earthquakes occurring at subduction zones are known as megathrust earthquakes and nine of the ten most powerful earthquakes in the twentieth century were megathrust, including the 1960 Chile earthquake. The Chile earthquake of 1960 was caused by the release of mechanical stress due to the subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate along the Chile-Peru Trench, which has been the cause of many other earthquakes too. The M w 9.5 1960 CE earthquake fully ruptured the Valdivia Segment along a length of about 1000 km with maximum coseismic slip of about 40 m (Moreno et al., 2009) and is the strongest . The first three quakes, all registering in the planet's top 10 by magnitude for 1960, are grouped together as the 1960 Concepcin earthquakes. [35], As a result of an evacuation plan, there were no reported human deaths associated with the eruption. Another wave measuring 10m (33ft) was reported ten minutes later. There are reports of what would have been earthquake lights in Purn. It was initially assessed in 1960 with a magnitude (M w) of 8.6, but was recalculated as a 9.5 in 2007 (USGS, 2007). From the height of debris tangled in the branches of trees that remained standing after the 1960 tsunami, Wolfgang Weischet, then a geographer at the Universidad Austral de Chile in nearby Valdivia, estimated that water from the tsunami was as much as 13 feet deep in Queule. However, many other residents of the area were not, and 122 were killed by the ensuing tsunami. Their accounts contain lessons on tsunami survival: The following is from the U.S. Geological Survey, Circular 1187, Version 1.1 and is compiled by Brian F. Atwater, Marco Cisternas V.1, Joanne Bourgeois2, Walter C. Dudley3, James W. Hendley II, and Peter H.Stauffer. 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). Together they watched the tsunami overrun their fields and carry away the remains of their house. Later failure of this landslide dam unleashed a flood that covered parts of the city. The first Concepcin earthquake struck at 06:02 on 21st May 1960. Barrientos has since spent years studying earthquakes. The epicenter of the 1960 Valdivia earthquake lay around 100 miles of the coast of Chile in the Pacific Ocean. People were afraid that buildings were about to collapse and many feared a tsunami would follow. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. A series of foreshocks the previous day had warned of the incipient disaster; one, of magnitude 8.1, caused major destruction in Concepcin. Throughout the night, water surged beneath them, scouring sandy ground nearby. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. Pablo Volenski, from Iquique, which is 115km (70 miles) from the epicentre, described a "terrible" experience. Many buildings were damaged across northern Chile. A carabinero (police) boat, Gloria, was towing a few of these boats when the second earthquake struck on 22 May. [32] Twenty-seven bulldozers were put into service, but they had severe difficulties moving in the mud near the dams, so dykes had to be constructed with shovels from June onwards. Mr. Argomedo was on high ground during the hours that followed the earthquake. Figueroa, Victor; Gayoso, Jorge; Oyarzun, Edgardo; Planas, Lenia. In the Philippines, tsunami waves left 32 dead or missing. The electricity and water systems of Valdivia were totally destroyed. So, why bother to prepare for such a tsunami? [61][63], In the coastal village Collileufu (La Araucana Region), native Lafkenches carried out a human sacrifice during the days following the main earthquake. Generation. [26] 150 boats, most of them used for fishing are reported to have "disappeared" in Mehun. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Across southern Chile, the tsunami caused huge loss of life, damage to port infrastructure, and the loss of many small boats. Not far away, the onrushing water covered land 30 feet above sea level. The main tsunami traveled across the Pacific Ocean and devastated Hilo, Hawaii, where waves as high as 10.7 metres (35ft) were recorded over 10,000 kilometres (6,200mi) from the epicenter. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Queule was connected by road in 1957 to the rest of the country and the town had developed into a balneario. The death toll and the monetary losses caused by the earthquake cannot be stated with certainty. While the above phase correction method successfully accounts for the dispersion effect of recent tsunamis such as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake recorded in deep ocean bottom pressure gauges (Ho et . The 1960 Valdivia earthquake and tsunami (Spanish: Terremoto de Valdivia) or the Great Chilean earthquake ( Gran terremoto de Chile) on 22 May 1960 was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. Despite the heavy rains of 21 May, the city was without a water supply. Some localized tsunamis severely battered the Chilean coast, with waves up to 25m (82ft). Various studies have placed it at 9.49.6 on the moment magnitude scale. As the ground beneath him shook hard for several minutes, he was forced to get off his horse. [54], A large area of former pastures and cultivated fields around the lower course of Cruces River was permanently flooded as a result of c. 2 m of subsidence caused by the earthquake. Various studies have placed it at 9.4-9.6 on the moment magnitude scale. Geophysicists consider it a matter of time before this earthquake will be surpassed in magnitude by another.
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