Great Chilean Earthquake

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The Great Chilean Earthquake or Valdivia Earthquake (Terremoto de Valdivia in Spanish) of May 22, 1960 is the largest magnitude earthquake recorded since seismographic monitoring began. Striking at 19:11 UTC (early afternoon local time), it measured 9.5 magnitude and affected southern Chile.

There had been a swarm of earthquakes, as large as magnitude 8, about 160 km (100 miles) to the north the previous day.

Its epicenter was located in Valdivia, approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles) south of Santiago. The earthquake caused localised tsunamis that hit the Chilean coast severely, with waves up to 25 meters high. The main tsunami ran through the Pacific Ocean and devastated Hilo, Hawaii, 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) from the epicenter, as well as coastal regions of Japan. The total number of fatalities from the earthquake and tsunami was estimated to 6,000. The estimated damage costs were over a half billion dollars (USD). Despite the record strength of the earthquake, more people were killed by tsunamis than by the earthquake.

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