Reviewed by USGSChile67y ago
M6.0 earthquake 188 km W of Corral, Chile
Tuesday, May 31, 1960, 02:40:04 UTC · 39.649°S, 75.612°W
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 188 km W of Corral, Chile on Tuesday, May 31, 1960, 02:40:04 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on May 23, 1960.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
13 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 28 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
40 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
15 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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 23 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 · 254 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.14 km ESE of Cañete, ChileMay 21, 1960 · 282 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.838 km WNW of Traiguén, ChileMay 22, 1960 · 284 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.350 km SSW of Carahue, ChileDecember 10, 1920 · 195 km E of this epicenter
- 6.948 km SSE of Panguipulli, ChileJune 13, 1907 · 299 km E of this epicenter
- 6.867 km NW of Ancud, ChileMarch 9, 1919 · 224 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.822 km ESE of Cañete, ChileMay 22, 1960 · 292 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.717 km NNW of Loncoche, ChileAugust 19, 1906 · 253 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,283 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1960M9.5
Puerto Montt, Valdivia
22 May 1960 · 254 km away · intensity XII
2,226 deaths$1.0 billion damagetsunami
- 1949M7.3
Angol, Traiguen
20 Apr 1949 · 259 km away
57 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1920M7.0
Off Coast Central
20 Aug 1920 · 259 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1960M8.2
Central
21 May 1960 · 285 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1960M7.4
Concepcion
1 Nov 1960 · 135 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1940M7.0
South Central
11 Oct 1940 · 226 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.