Earthquakes of magnitude 7.5 and above in Chile from 1900 to 1949

Map of 9 locations in Chile

A run of very large shocks along the Chilean subduction margin in the first half of the twentieth century, from the destruction of Valparaíso in 1906 to the shaking that crossed Tierra del Fuego in December 1949. These are historical events, reconstructed from instrumental records, intensity reports and newspaper accounts rather than measured by modern networks, and the catalogues often disagree on their size and position. For several of them the surviving record is thin enough that no casualty figure was ever set down.

Places in this collection

  • 1949 Punta Arenas earthquake — Records for the Region of Magallanes place this shock near Punta Arenas on 17 December, one listing putting it about 127 kilometres north o…
  • 1949 Tierra del Fuego earthquake — The shaking crossed the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, spanning the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego and the Chilean provinces of Tier…
  • 1943 Ovalle earthquake — The Coquimbo Region was struck at 12:07 local time on 6 April, with the epicentre placed north-northwest of Illapel. Major damage was recor…
  • 1936 Antofagasta Region earthquake — The shock struck the Antofagasta Region of northern Chile on 13 July. Listings of the year's earthquakes record one death.
  • 1928 Constitución earthquake — The shock was centred near Constitución in the Maule Region, with an origin logged at 04:06:17 UTC on 1 December. Regional listings record…
  • 1922 Vallenar earthquake — The earthquake struck the Atacama Region near the border with Argentina at 04:32 UTC on 11 November, and is given a moment magnitude of 8.3…
  • 1918 Diego de Almagro earthquake — The shock was centred off the Atacama coast, west of Diego de Almagro, with an origin logged at 11:47:50 UTC. Listings give it between magn…
  • 1914 Constitución earthquake — The shock originated offshore of Constitución, in the Maule Region of central Chile. Catalogues place it at magnitude 7.6 to 7.7, the estim…
  • 1906 Valparaíso earthquake — The epicentre lay offshore of the Valparaíso Region. Accounts record that at 19:55 local time on 16 August, while most Chileans were at din…

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