Reviewed by USGSChile74y ago
M7.5 earthquake 23 km SE of Chiguayante, Chile
Wednesday, May 6, 1953, 17:16:48 UTC · 37.093°S, 72.866°W
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck 23 km SE of Chiguayante, Chile on Wednesday, May 6, 1953, 17:16:48 UTC, at a depth of 66.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on January 25, 1939.
- Magnitude
- 7.5
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 66 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3.2 megatons of TNT
That is about 212 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6,683 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
144 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
66 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 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
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:
- 7.826 km WNW of San Carlos, ChileJanuary 25, 1939 · 106 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.730 km NNE of Constitución, ChileDecember 1, 1928 · 230 km N of this epicenter
- 7.7103 km NW of Constitución, ChileJanuary 30, 1914 · 262 km N of this epicenter
- 7.350 km SSW of Carahue, ChileDecember 10, 1920 · 229 km S of this epicenter
- 7.247 km NW of Cauquenes, ChileDecember 2, 1928 · 154 km N of this epicenter
- 7.015 km SSW of Nacimiento, ChileApril 20, 1949 · 62 km S of this epicenter
- 7.019 km SW of Angol, ChileAugust 20, 1920 · 91 km S of this epicenter
- 6.717 km NNW of Loncoche, ChileAugust 19, 1906 · 238 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 30,469 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1939M8.3
Chillan
25 Jan 1939 · 109 km away · intensity X
30,000 deaths$920 million damagetsunami
- 1928M7.6
Talca, Chillan, Santiago, San Fernando
1 Dec 1928 · 245 km away · intensity IX
279 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1751M8.5
Concepcion, Chillan, Talca, Tutuben, Curico
25 May 1751 · 114 km away · intensity XI
65 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1949M7.3
Angol, Traiguen
20 Apr 1949 · 115 km away
57 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1835M8.2
Concepcion
20 Feb 1835 · 33 km away · intensity XI
53 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1953M7.6
Chillan, Concepcion
6 May 1953 · 74 km away · intensity X
9 deaths$500 million damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.