Reviewed by USGSChile67y ago
M6.9 earthquake 17 km WSW of Pitrufquén, Chile
Monday, June 20, 1960, 12:59:46 UTC · 39.071°S, 72.813°W
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 17 km WSW of Pitrufquén, Chile on Monday, June 20, 1960, 12:59:46 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on June 20, 1960.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 25 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very 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
388 kilotons of TNT
That is about 26 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 813 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
184 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
25 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.8 on July 5, 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 35 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 · 115 km NW of this epicenter
- 8.14 km ESE of Cañete, ChileMay 21, 1960 · 146 km N of this epicenter
- 7.838 km WNW of Traiguén, ChileMay 22, 1960 · 114 km N of this epicenter
- 7.523 km SE of Chiguayante, ChileMay 6, 1953 · 220 km N of this epicenter
- 7.350 km SSW of Carahue, ChileDecember 10, 1920 · 56 km W of this epicenter
- 7.126 km W of Angol, ChileMay 22, 1960 · 145 km N of this epicenter
- 7.015 km SSW of Nacimiento, ChileApril 20, 1949 · 160 km N of this epicenter
- 7.024 km WNW of Traiguén, ChileJune 20, 1960 · 102 km N 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 2,416 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1960M9.5
Puerto Montt, Valdivia
22 May 1960 · 115 km away · intensity XII
2,226 deaths$1.0 billion damagetsunami
- 1751M8.5
Concepcion, Chillan, Talca, Tutuben, Curico
25 May 1751 · 270 km away · intensity XI
65 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1949M7.3
Angol, Traiguen
20 Apr 1949 · 133 km away
57 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1835M8.2
Concepcion
20 Feb 1835 · 250 km away · intensity XI
53 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1953M7.6
Chillan, Concepcion
6 May 1953 · 287 km away · intensity X
9 deaths$500 million damagetsunami
- 1898M6.5
Concepcion
23 Jul 1898 · 250 km away · intensity VIII
6 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.