Reviewed by USGSChile67y ago
M5.8 earthquake 39 km WNW of Carahue, Chile
Tuesday, July 5, 1960, 05:45:30 UTC · 38.534°S, 73.555°W
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 39 km WNW of Carahue, Chile on Tuesday, July 5, 1960, 05:45:30 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.9 on June 20, 1960.
- Magnitude
- 5.8
- Moderate · 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
7 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 15 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
105 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
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 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 37 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 · 45 km N of this epicenter
- 8.14 km ESE of Cañete, ChileMay 21, 1960 · 81 km N of this epicenter
- 7.826 km WNW of San Carlos, ChileJanuary 25, 1939 · 276 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.838 km WNW of Traiguén, ChileMay 22, 1960 · 69 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.523 km SE of Chiguayante, ChileMay 6, 1953 · 171 km N of this epicenter
- 7.350 km SSW of Carahue, ChileDecember 10, 1920 · 64 km S of this epicenter
- 7.126 km W of Angol, ChileMay 22, 1960 · 97 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.015 km SSW of Nacimiento, ChileApril 20, 1949 · 124 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 · 279 km away · intensity X
30,000 deaths$920 million damagetsunami
- 1960M9.5
Puerto Montt, Valdivia
22 May 1960 · 45 km away · intensity XII
2,226 deaths$1.0 billion damagetsunami
- 1751M8.5
Concepcion, Chillan, Talca, Tutuben, Curico
25 May 1751 · 254 km away · intensity XI
65 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1949M7.3
Angol, Traiguen
20 Apr 1949 · 60 km away
57 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1835M8.2
Concepcion
20 Feb 1835 · 195 km away · intensity XI
53 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1953M7.6
Chillan, Concepcion
6 May 1953 · 245 km away · intensity X
9 deaths$500 million damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.