QuakeScout
Magnitude7.3

Reviewed by USGSChile107y ago

M7.3 earthquake 50 km SSW of Carahue, Chile

Friday, December 10, 1920, 04:25:49 UTC · 39.102°S, 73.462°W

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck 50 km SSW of Carahue, Chile on Friday, December 10, 1920, 04:25:49 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.

Magnitude
7.3
Major · 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

1.3 megatons of TNT

That is about 86 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2,723 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

130 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 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 4 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.019 km SW of Angol, ChileAugust 20, 1920 · 142 km N of this epicenter
  2. 6.948 km SSE of Panguipulli, ChileJune 13, 1907 · 154 km SE of this epicenter
  3. 6.867 km NW of Ancud, ChileMarch 9, 1919 · 269 km S of this epicenter
  4. 6.717 km NNW of Loncoche, ChileAugust 19, 1906 · 65 km E of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 124 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1751M8.5

    Concepcion, Chillan, Talca, Tutuben, Curico

    25 May 1751 · 299 km away · intensity XI

    65 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  2. 1835M8.2

    Concepcion

    20 Feb 1835 · 255 km away · intensity XI

    53 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami

  3. 1898M6.5

    Concepcion

    23 Jul 1898 · 255 km away · intensity VIII

    6 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  4. 1920M7.0

    Off Coast Central

    20 Aug 1920 · 123 km away

    Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  5. 1742

    Concepcion

    23 Mar 1742 · 259 km away

    tsunami

  6. 1838

    Central

    7 May 1838 · 269 km away

    tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers

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