Reviewed by USGSChile67y ago
M6.5 earthquake 64 km WNW of Carahue, Chile
Monday, May 23, 1960, 00:25:48 UTC · 38.543°S, 73.866°W
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 64 km WNW of Carahue, Chile on Monday, May 23, 1960, 00:25:48 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M9.5 on May 22, 1960.
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 20 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
88 kilotons of TNT
That is about 6 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 184 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
80 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
20 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 100 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M7.0 on June 20, 1960. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 27 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 9.51960 Great Chilean Earthquake (Valdivia Earthquake)May 22, 1960 · 60 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.14 km ESE of Cañete, ChileMay 21, 1960 · 92 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.826 km WNW of San Carlos, ChileJanuary 25, 1939 · 289 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.838 km WNW of Traiguén, ChileMay 22, 1960 · 90 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.523 km SE of Chiguayante, ChileMay 6, 1953 · 184 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.350 km SSW of Carahue, ChileDecember 10, 1920 · 71 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.126 km W of Angol, ChileMay 22, 1960 · 113 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.015 km SSW of Nacimiento, ChileApril 20, 1949 · 143 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 16 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 32,416 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1939M8.3
Chillan
25 Jan 1939 · 292 km away · intensity X
30,000 deaths$920 million damagetsunami
- 1960M9.5
Puerto Montt, Valdivia
22 May 1960 · 60 km away · intensity XII
2,226 deaths$1.0 billion damagetsunami
- 1751M8.5
Concepcion, Chillan, Talca, Tutuben, Curico
25 May 1751 · 274 km away · intensity XI
65 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1949M7.3
Angol, Traiguen
20 Apr 1949 · 68 km away
57 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1835M8.2
Concepcion
20 Feb 1835 · 204 km away · intensity XI
53 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1953M7.6
Chillan, Concepcion
6 May 1953 · 257 km away · intensity X
9 deaths$500 million damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.