1960 valdivia earthquake eyewitness accounts
1960 valdivia earthquake eyewitness accounts
Canelo, a ship that sank as result of the 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile. [71][11], Other lesser earthquakes that preceded the 1960 event occurred in 1737 and 1837. The tsunami traveled across the Pacific Ocean in the hours after the earthquake; the waves killed 61 people in Hawaii, nearly 140 in Japan, and 32 in the Philippines. The quake measured 9.5 in magnitude, and 35 foot high waves were recorded 6,000 miles away. Canelos was anchored at Corral when the quake struck, filling a cargo of wood and other products destined for northern Chile. Endo Fukuei (above, in 1999) recalls the firemans warning that spurred citizens of Onagawa, Japan, toward high ground as the 1960 Chilean tsunami reached the towns harbor. Some of these areas remain sparsely vegetated while others have naturally developed more or less pure stands of Nothofagus dombeyi. They knew that the 1946 Aleutian tsunami had destroyed the bridge there. Various studies have placed it at 9.49.6 on the moment magnitude scale. It lasted for 11 to 13 minutes and affected all of Chile between Talca and Chilo Island, an area more than 400,000 squarekilometers. Hilo, Hawaii was destroyed. Lots of the men got off the bus. Eduardo Veliz, also from Iquique, said he witnessed a scene of chaos. Not all the tsunami victims were found quickly. "El Canelo", a song by Los Lobos on their 1988 album: La Pistola y El Corazn. The boat Isabella in Baha Mansa quickly left the port but lost its anchors. [18] Structures that had been designed to resist earthquakes performed well during the earthquake, chiefly suffering damage when affected by soil subsidence or small fault movements. [36], The eruption fed a 5.5km-long fissure on 135 heading where 21 individual vents have been found. Further north, the port of Talcahuano did not suffer any major damage, only some flooding. In Chile, the earthquake and the tsunami that followed took more than 2,000 lives and caused property damage estimated at $550 million (1960 dollars). The massive earth movement triggered . [56] Over the years the new wetlands were colonized chiefly by Egeria densa (Spanish: luchecillo). Updates? The 1960 tsunami also deposited sand along the Ro Maulln, some of it on land owned by Juan Vera. 1996 - 2023 National Geographic Society. Regions where it occurs are known as subduction zones. In much of this flooded area, the tsunami reached a height of 15 feet above sea level. They survived the tsunami, but 15 other people near them died. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. [17] With the exception of poor building sites, the zone of Mercalli scales intensities of VII or more all lay west of the Andes in a strip running from Lota (37 S) southwards. The 1960 Valdivia Earthquake On 22nd May 1960 (14:11 Chile time, 19:11 GMT), the greatest earthquake ever recorded in history, with magnitude of 9.5 degrees on the Richter scale, shocked the coastal regions of southern Chile. [52], The tsunami that struck the coast of southern Chile destroyed seaside farms, killing numerous livestock and people. As many as 6,000 people were killed. This chapter examines retrospectively the impact on the businesses in the city of Valdivia, Chile, of the earthquake and tsunami on "El Da de Los Santos Inocentes". During the confusion caused by the waves, Mrs. Riquelme lost her daughter, and her husband was badly injured. The waves set off by the Great Chilean earthquake bounced back and forth across the Pacific Ocean for a week. This was because it occurred in the afternoon, many of the structures in affected areas were earthquake-resistant and thefore-shocksmade the population wary. The 1960 Chile earthquake ruptured a fault zone along which a slab of sea floor is descending, or "subducting," beneath the adjacent South American Continent. As the quake occurred just prior to a revolution in seismologic technology in the 1960s, these figures are based mainly on post hoc analysis. Although many people call tsunamis "tidal waves" they are not related to tides but are rather a series of waves, or "wave trains" usually caused by earthquakes. Shaking from the 1960 earthquake not only damaged roads but also caused landslides. I cannot describe the feeling is this the one. 3099067 5 Howick Place | London | SW1P 1WG 2023 Informa UK Limited, Registered in England & Wales No. The force of the sudden movement along a roughly 560620-mile (9001,000-km) stretch of the Nazca plate pushed part of the leading edge of the South American plate upward. Focus is the point where an earthquake originates while epicenter is the point on Earths surface directly above the focus. The first of these was the 8.1 Mw Concepcin earthquake at 06:02 UTC-4 on 21 May 1960. The M w 9.5 1960 CE earthquake fully ruptured the Valdivia Segment along a length of about 1000 km with maximum coseismic slip of about 40 m (Moreno et al., 2009) and is the strongest . Inland from Quenuir, a pregnant Mara Vera and eight others climbed a peta tree on a low plain north of the Ro Maulln (photo below). [17] East of Puerto Octay, in a hotel in Todos los Santos Lake, stacked dishes were reported to have remained in place. It was eternal and that made it more terrible. They were released from prison after two years. [57] After the earthquake many families in Corral relocated to the neighbourhood of La Aguada. As marked on this 1944 photo of the mouth of the Ro Maulln, Chile, the 1960 Chilean tsunami flowed 2 miles inland from the beach at right foreground. The Valdivia earthquake left two million people homeless, injured at least 3,000, and killed approximately 1,655. The moment magnitude scale (MW) is used to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of energy released. CORFO acted the secretariat of the committee and was entrusted with the preparation of the reconstruction plan and its detailed execution. Pablo Volenski, from Iquique, which is 115km (70 miles) from the epicentre, described a "terrible" experience. After that, the city was a complete disorder. When the first wave, only a few feet high, arrived just after midnight, hundreds of people were still at home on low ground in Hilo. 17,029 pages were read in the last minute. About 3,000 people were injured. The boats found were used to navigate in Valdivia River and Corral Bay but had drifted into the high sea. You cannot download interactives. Introduction [2] Strong tsunami generating earthquakes belong to the most hazardous geodynamic processes occurring along the world's plate margins. On May 22, 1960, the most powerfulearthquake in recorded historymagnitude 9.5struck southern Chile. It was initially assessed in 1960 with a magnitude (M w) of 8.6, but was recalculated as a 9.5 in 2007 (USGS, 2007). It is an impressive document that includes the involvement of citizens in committees that are part of the program. The road connecting the two towns had been blocked by rocks, which had killed five people and telephone communication was impossible. Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary On May 22, 1960, the most powerful earthquake in recorded history magnitude 9.5struck southern Chile. Hawai'i had been struck in the past by deadly tsunamis, including ones from Chile in 1837 and 1877 and one from the Aleutian Islands in 1946 that in Hilo alone killed 98 people. Though the tremor caused significant damage, it was the resulting tsunamis or high waves which were responsible for major destruction. It is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. Great Chilean earthquake measured 9.5 on the MW making it the largest earthquake of the twentieth Century and the most powerful ever recorded. La desaparicin del luchecillo (Egeria densa) del Santuario del Rio Cruces (Valdivia, Chile): una hiptesis plausible. This era of prosperity ended with the 1960 earthquake. How much damage was caused by the Chile earthquake of 1960? The economic damage totaled $550 million (more than $4.8 billion, adjusted for 2020 inflation). [50] Angelm and other coastal areas of Puerto Montt were among the few urban areas that suffered "total destruction" by the earthquake. For example, in the town of Huara, more than 60% of houses were reportedly destroyed. After being swept up by the tsunami, Nelly Gallardo floated on a log and Armanda Cubate floated on a roof until the next morning (see far right in photo). [75] A survey showed that 434 persons in Valdivia had their homes damaged by the earthquake. At the bottom of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the Nazca plate is being forced under the South American plate. [33] Plans were made to evacuate Valdivia, and many people left. Gates, Alexander E.; Ritchie, David. Carrying their two youngest children, the couple hurried up a nearby hill, where they safely remained during the tsunami. The 1960 Chile earthquake not only triggered a tsunami that killed Ramn Atala, it also changed his Monterey pine plantation outside of Maulln, Chile, into a salt marsh. People were shocked and some of them were loading trucks with their stuff and leaving town. Chile's national disaster program reflects current understanding of risks. [69] This earthquake was of similar strength and also caused a Riihuazo. The roof of her family house served as a life raft for Armanda Cubate, her 4-year old nephew Nelson, and five others. As the sea regressed Gloria became stranded between Cerro Guaigun and Cochinos Island. [1] It occurred in the afternoon (19:11 GMT, 15:11 local time), and lasted for approximately 10 minutes. Know about the cause, effects, damage and death toll of the 1960 earthquake in Chile through these 10 interesting facts. Residents of Valdivia, Chile, inspect an enormous crack caused by the Great Chilean Earthquake on May 22, 1960. Elsewhere in Japan, the tsunami killed 138 people, but in Onagawa no one died, probably because many people there went to high ground. [18] Two days after the earthquake Cordn Caulle, a volcanic vent close to Puyehue volcano, erupted. It had a magnitude of 8.1, lasted for 35 seconds and destroyed a third of the buildings in the city of Concepcin in Chile. All rights reserved. Some pavements near the rivershore in Valdivia cracked and collapsed much like in the 1960 earthquake. Damaging waves in Onagawa, some of which carried battering rams of floating wood, reached heights of 14 feet. [57] Among the material loses were a series stilt houses between Corral Bajo and Amargos. Another wave measuring 10m (33ft) was reported ten minutes later. He and his wife, Mara Silva, lived on low ground 2 miles east of Maulln. The electricity and water systems of Valdivia were totally destroyed. [35] The eruption was first noticed and reported as an explosion by the crew of a United States Air Force plane that was heading to Santiago from Puerto Montt. The stories provide a mixed bag of lessons about tsunami survival. [66], An earthquake of similar magnitude occurred in this area around 1800 BC, as has been determined by dating charcoal and shells washed into the Atacama Desert by the tsunami. Once I was standing in the doorway, I could see that the electricity had gone out throughout the whole city. The 1960 Valdivia earthquake and tsunami (Spanish: Terremoto de Valdivia) or the Great Chilean earthquake (Gran terremoto de Chile) on 22 May 1960 was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. It was the fifth largest earthquake ever to be recorded by a seismograph and ranks thirteen in the overall list including estimates. [46] Parts of the botanical garden of the Austral University of Chile that were next to Cau-Cau River and the city's southern outskirts along Route 206 were permanently flooded. Estimates were the rupture zone stretched anywhere from 500 kilometers (311 miles) to almost 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) along the countrys coast. The earthquake hit at 3:11 pm approximately 100 miles (160 km) off the coast of Chile, parallel to the city of Valdivia. Every visit to Chile there is a small one. Santiago Fernandez, from Arica, was at university when the ground began to shake. By then, the first wave of the tsunami that followed the quake was approaching but still out of view to the west. Telephones were also off. We find the Melinka earthquake occurs inside the slip region for the 1960 M9.5 Valdivia earthquake and within the highly locked portion of the megathrust inferred from inter . However, he lost his life while trying to save something from the tsunami that followed. Her husband died of his injuries, and the body of her daughter was found 3 days after the tsunami. Others, thinking that the danger had passed, returned to Hilo before the highest wave of the tsunami struck at 1:04 a.m. on May 23. [54], A large area of former pastures and cultivated fields around the lower course of Cruces River was permanently flooded as a result of c. 2 m of subsidence caused by the earthquake. From the height of debris tangled in the branches of trees that remained standing after the 1960 tsunami, Wolfgang Weischet, then a geographer at the Universidad Austral de Chile in nearby Valdivia, estimated that water from the tsunami was as much as 13 feet deep in Queule. But the most terrible scenes of the earthquake were in small towns east of Iquique. Gathering cameras, notebooks, flashlights, and steel measuring tapes, they piled into a Ford station wagon for the 30-mile ride down to Hilo. Originating off the coast of southern Chile on May 22, 1960, the temblor caused substantial damage and loss of life both in that country andas a result of the tsunamis that it generatedin distant Pacific coastal areas. This potential disaster would have violently flooded all the settlements along the course of the river in less than five hours, with more dire consequences if the dam suddenly broke. We present results for joint kinematic inversion of high-rate GPS, strong motion and InSAR data for the 2016 M7.6 Melinka earthquake.We show that the source is a compact 35 s long rupture with 5.0 0.15 m of peak slip. The earthquake did not strike all the territory with the same strength; measured with the Mercalli scale, tectonically depressed areas suffered heavier damage. Some seismologists believe the eruption was linked to the Valdivia earthquake. In this region, the Nazca Plate is being subducted beneath South America along the Peru-Chile trench at a rate of 78 mm a 1, according to the analysis of seafloor palaeomagnetic data (DeMets et al. It caused 82 foot high waves to travel down the Chilean coast. On 24 May 38 hours after the main shock of the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, the Cordn Caulle volcano erupted. Two men on board Canelos died in the incident. The tsunami that followed the earthquake caught the Riquelme family there. The largest earthquake ever recorded by instruments struck southern Chile on May 22, 1960. Ramirez, C., E. Carrasco, S. Mariani & N. Palacios. The efforts of President Alessandri led to the creation of a new institutionality in order to facilitate future emergency preparation and to tackle the country's recovery after the earthquake. Heeding natural warnings by going to high ground probably saved hundreds of lives in Queule. Turning around, they watched the 20-foot-high, nearly vertical front of the wave hit the bridge, and water splashed high into the air. Puerto Octay was the center of a northsouth elliptical area in the Central Valley, where the intensity was at the highest outside the Valdivia Basin. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The May 22nd 1960 Chilean earthquake is the largest earthquake on record with a magnitude 9.5 ( DeMets et al., 1990) for the main shock which occurred along a 1000 km N to S trending fault rupture at the subduction zone of the Nazca and South American plates ( Fig. [49], Puerto Montt, a major city today, had in the early 1960s about 49,500 inhabitants. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. [18], After the earthquake a myth relating the unusually warm and clear weather conditions prior to the earthquake to its triggering. [59], Further north the earthquake destroyed numerous houses in the coal-mining town of Lebu. Tsunami waves can become more than 30 feet high as they come into shore and can rush miles inland across low-lying areas. The Valodivia Earthquake Breaking news on Fox today, It is May 20,1960 and the ground is shaking. Several coastal towns were inundated by a 25-metre (80-foot) tsunami. By 23 June, the main dam had been lowered from 24 to 15m (79 to 49ft), allowing 3billion cubic metres of water to leave the lake gradually, but still with considerable destructive power. Concomitantly, a ministerial-level committee, COPERE (Comisin de Planificacin de la Economa y de Reconstruccin), was officially named as the government's Planning and Reconstruction Committee. By 1:00 a.m., the water beneath the bridge had dropped to 7 feet (2.1 meters) below normal. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. [10], While the Valdivia earthquake was extraordinarily large, the 2016 Chilo earthquake hints that it did not release all the potential slip in that segment of the plate interface. She clung to this trunk until the next morning. Generation. Many city blocks with destroyed buildings in the city center remained empty until the 1990s and 2000s, with some of them still used as parking lots. Historians Yoselin Jaramillo and Ismael Basso report that people in Queule decades later know about 50 people to have died because of the earthquake and tsunami.[27]. The 1960 Valdivia earthquake struck Chile on the afternoon of 22nd May 1960, causing widespread damage with Valdivia being the most affected city.Also known as the Great Chilean earthquake, it was a 9.5 M W earthquake making it the most powerful ever recorded till date. The eruption ended on 22 July 59 days later. Survivors on the roof later pulled the mother's body from the water. [26] 150 boats, most of them used for fishing are reported to have "disappeared" in Mehun. Like everyone else in Maulln, Chile, Ramn Atala survived the 1960 Chile earthquake. The first Concepcin earthquake struck at 06:02 on 21st May 1960. The river turned brown with sediment from landslides and was full of floating debris, including entire houses. When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. Go to an Upper Floor or Roof of a Building, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
