Map showing the areas affected by the tsunami

The Great Chilean Earthquake or Valdivian Earthquake (Terremoto de Valdivia in Spanish) of 22 May 1960 is the most intense earthquake ever recorded, rating a 9.5 ^[1] on the Moment magnitude scale. It occurred in the early afternoon (19:11 UTC) and affected southern Chile, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, and the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (859x800, 323 KB) Source  NGDC Tsunami-Travel-Time Maps File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Great Chilean Earthquake ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (859x800, 323 KB) Source  NGDC Tsunami-Travel-Time Maps File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Great Chilean Earthquake ... (Redirected from 22 May) May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... An earthquake is the result from the sudden release of stored energy in the Earths crust that creates seismic waves. ... The moment magnitude scale was introduced in 1979 by Tom Hanks and Hiroo Kanamori as a successor to the Richter scale and is used by seismologists to compare the energy released by earthquakes. ... ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Aleutians seen from space The Aleutian Islands (possibly from Chukchi aliat, island) are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands forming an island arc in the Northern Pacific Ocean, occupying an area of 6,821 sq mi (17,666 km²) and extending about 1,200 mi (1,900... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ...

Global seismic release from 1906 to 2005, the graph shows that almost 25% of the energy was concentrated in the Great Chilean Earthquake alone

The epicenter was 10km west of Niebla, near Valdivia, Chile some 700 kilometers south of Santiago. It caused localized tsunamis that severely battered the Chilean coast, with waves up to 25 meters. The main tsunami raced across the Pacific Ocean and devastated Hilo, Hawaii. Waves as high as 10.7 meters were recorded 10,000 kilometers from the epicenter, and as far away as Japan and the Philippines. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1824x1378, 405 KB)Richard Aster (New Mexico Tech) created this figure using the resources of the IRIS Consortium and the USGS. Additional data was generously provided by Lynn Sykes of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia Univerisity. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1824x1378, 405 KB)Richard Aster (New Mexico Tech) created this figure using the resources of the IRIS Consortium and the USGS. Additional data was generously provided by Lynn Sykes of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia Univerisity. ... The epicenter is directly above the earthquakes focus. ... Niebla is a town in Valdivias Province, southern Chile. ... Nickname: The City of Rivers Motto: Muy Noble y Muy Leal (Very Noble and Very Loyal) Location of the Commune of Valdivia Coordinates: Country Chile Region Los Rios Province Valdivia Founded as Santa María la Blaca de Valdivia Founded 9 February 1552 Government  - Mayor Bernardo Berger Fett Area  - City... A kilometer (Commonwealth spelling: kilometre), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1,000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... The snowcapped Andes above downtown Santiago Santiago (frequently called   in Spanish) is Chiles capital and, when viewed as a conurbation, its largest city. ... The tsunami that struck Malé in the Maldives on December 26, 2004. ... The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... Hilo (pronounced IPA: ) is a coastal city in the State of HawaiÊ»i, and is the largest community on the island of HawaiÊ»i. ...

The death toll and monetary losses arising from such a widespread disaster can never be precisely known. Various estimates of the total number of fatalities from the earthquake and tsunamis have been published, with the USGS citing studies with figures of 2231, 3000, or 5700 killed,^[2] and another source uses an estimate of 6000 dead.^[3] Different sources have estimated the monetary cost ranged from 400 million to 800 million US dollars^[2] (or 2.6 to 5.2 billion in 2005 dollars, adjusted for inflation.)

The earthquake in Chile

A Valdivia street after the earthquake of 22 May 1960

The Puyehue Volcano in the picture erupted some days after the main earthquake.

The Great Chilean Earthquake was preceded by a smaller earthquake in Arauco Province at 6:02 a.m. on 21 May 1960. Telecommunications to southern Chile were cut off and President Jorge Alessandri had to cancel the traditional ceremony of the Battle of Iquique memorial holiday to oversee the emergency assistance efforts. The government was just beginning to organize help to the affected region when the second earthquake occurred at 2:55 pm UTC on 22 May in Valdivia. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1483x789, 171 KB) Source: NGDC Natural Hazards Slides with Captions Header File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Great Chilean Earthquake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1483x789, 171 KB) Source: NGDC Natural Hazards Slides with Captions Header File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Great Chilean Earthquake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably... Nickname: The City of Rivers Motto: Muy Noble y Muy Leal (Very Noble and Very Loyal) Location of the Commune of Valdivia Coordinates: Country Chile Region Los Rios Province Valdivia Founded as Santa María la Blaca de Valdivia Founded 9 February 1552 Government  - Mayor Bernardo Berger Fett Area  - City... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1345x563, 151 KB) Source: NGDC Natural Hazards Slides with Captions Header File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Great Chilean Earthquake Talk:Great Chilean Earthquake Cordón Caulle... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1345x563, 151 KB) Source: NGDC Natural Hazards Slides with Captions Header File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Great Chilean Earthquake Talk:Great Chilean Earthquake Cordón Caulle... Puyehue Volcano is flat-topped volcano located in the Andes, in the Limit of Osorno Province and Ranco Province, southern Chile. ... Lebu Arauco, a coastal province of southern Chile, bounded N., E. and S. by the provinces of Concepcion, Bio-Bio, Malleco and Cautín. ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... Jorge Alessandri Rodríguez (May 19, 1896–August 31, 1986) was President of Chile from 1958 to 1964. ... The Battle of Iquique took place on May 21, 1879 during the War of the Pacific between Chile and the joint forces of Bolivia and Peru. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ...

The second earthquake affected all of Chile between Talca and Chiloé Island, more than 400,000 square kilometers. Coastal villages, such as Toltén, disappeared. At Corral , the main port of Valdivia, the water level rose 4 meters before it began to recede. At 4:20 pm UTC, an eight-meter wave struck the Chilean coast, mainly between Concepción and Chiloe. Ten minutes later, another wave measuring 10 meters was reported. Talcas main comercial street Talca (2002 Census pop. ... Chiloé Island Location of Chiloé in Chile Chiloé Island (Spanish: Isla de Chiloé), also known as Isla Grande de Chiloé Big Island of Chiloé, is a South American island off the coast of Chile, in the Pacific Ocean. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... Nueva Toltén is a comuna, city and municipality in the Araucania Region, southern Chile. ... Corral (red) in Los Lagos General view of the fort in Corral Corral is a municipality in Valdivia Province, southern Chile. ... Concepción (Spanish for conception, in reference to the Immaculate Conception of Roman Catholic dogma) is the name of several towns and cities in Latin America: Concepción, Chile Concepción, Santander, Colombia Concepción, Campeche, Mexico Concepción, Tabasco, Mexico Concepción, Paraguay Concepción, Zulia State, Venezuela And...

Hundreds of people were already reported dead by the time the tsunami struck. Ships, like the Canelo, that were at the mouth of Valdivia River sank after being moved 1.5 km backward and forward in the river. The mast of the Canelo is still visible from the road to Niebla. The Valdivia river is one of the mayor rives that drains southern Chile. ... Niebla is a town in Valdivias Province, southern Chile. ...

A number of Spanish-colonial forts around Valdivia were completely destroyed. Soil subsidence also destroyed buildings, deepened local rivers, and created wetlands in places like the Río Cruces and Chorocomayo, a new aquatic park north of the city. Extensive areas of the city were flooded. The electricity and water systems of Valdivia were totally destroyed. Witnesses reported underground water flowing up through the soil. Despite the heavy rains of 21 May, the city was without a water supply. The river turned brown with sediment from landslides and was full of floating debris— including entire houses. The lack of potable water became a serious problem in Chile's most rainy region. Niebla Forts former headquarter (now a museum), during a representation of the capture of Valdivia The main fort in Corral The Valdivian fort system was a series of fortification in Corral Bay, Valdivia and Cruces River made to protect the city of Valdivia, Chile. ... The Cruces River (spanish: Río Cruces) is an important river near Valdivia, Chile. ... May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... Drinking water This article focuses on water as we experience it every day. ...

Two days after the earthquake, the Puyehue volcano erupted. It is possible that other volcanoes also erupted, but none were recorded due to the lack of communication in Chile at that time. The relatively low death toll in Chile (estimated at 5,000) is explained, in part, by the fact that many people were attending church at the time of the temblor. Churches were usually constructed on stronger foundations than most residential buildings. Coastal towns also tended to be located on higher ground, following a pre-Hispanic tradition.^{[citation needed]} Puyehue Volcano is flat-topped volcano located in the Andes, in the Limit of Osorno Province and Ranco Province, southern Chile. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The Riñihuazo

Main article: Riñihuazo.

The town of Riñihue flooded during the Riñihuazo

During the Great Chilean Earthquake, several landslides near Tralcan Mountain blocked the outflow of Riñihue Lake by ( 39°46′43″S, 72°27′03″W). Riñihue Lake is the lowest of the Seven Lakes chain and receives a constant inflow from the Enco River. The blocked San Pedro River, which drains the lake, passes through several towns and the city of Valdivia before finally reaching Corral Bay. The Riñihuazo is the name given to the damming of Riñihue Lake after that during Great Chilean Earthquake a landslide blocked its outflow. ... Image File history File links Riñihuazo1. ... Image File history File links Riñihuazo1. ... The town of Riñihue flooded during the Riñihuazo Riñihue is a minor town in Valdivia Province, southern Chile. ... Rockslide redirects here. ... Tralcan (Thunder in mapudungun) is a mount near Riñihue Lake in southern, Chile. ... The Riñihue Lake (Lago Riñihue) is a lake of glacial origin in eastern Valdivia Province in southern Chile. ... The Seven Lakes is a tourism area in Panguipullis muncipality, southern Chile. ... Enco River is a river in Panguipullis municipality, southern Chile. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The valdivian flag Valdivia is a city in southern Chile, founded by Pedro de Valdivia, located at the confluence of the Calle Calle, Valdivia and Cau Cau rivers, some 15 km east of the coastal town and bay of Corral. ... General view of the Corral Bay from Niebla Corral Bay is a bay in the mouth of the Valdivia River, southern Chile. ...

Because the San Pedro River was blocked, the water level of Riñihue Lake started to rise quickly. Each meter the water level rose was equivalent to 20 million cubic meters, which meant that 4800 million cubic meters of water would release into the San Pedro River (easily overpowering its flow capacity of 400 cubic meters per second) if it rose above the final, 24-meter-high dam. This potential disaster would have destroyed all the settlements along the course of the river in less than five hours, and had more dire consequences if the dam suddenly broke. The cubic metre (symbol m³) is the SI derived unit of volume. ...

About 100,000 people lived in the affected zone. Plans were made to evacuate Valdivia, and many people left.

Workers digging a dyke in San Pedro River

To avoid the destruction of the city, several military units and hundreds of workers from ENDESA, CORFO, and MOP started an effort, called the Riñihuazo, to control the lake. Twenty-seven bulldozers were put into service, but they had severe difficulties moving in the mud near the dams, so dykes had to be constructed with shovels. The work was not restricted to the lake; drainages from other parts of the Seven Lakes were also dammed to minimize the flow into Riñihue Lake. These dams were removed later, with the exception of Calafquén Lake, which still retains its dam. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (840x586, 168 KB) Free download and use at Panguipullis homepage www. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (840x586, 168 KB) Free download and use at Panguipullis homepage www. ... Endesa is the acronym of . ... CORFO is a Chilean governmental organization that was founded in 1939 to promote economic growth in Chile. ... A Caterpillar D10N bulldozer at work A bulldozer is a very powerful crawler (caterpillar tracked tractor) equipped with a blade. ... Calafquén Lake (mapudungun: Lake like a sea) is a lake of Chile, which straddles the border between the Araucanía Region and Los Ríos Region. ...

By 23 May, the main dam had been lowered from 24 to 15 meters, allowing 3000 million cubic meters of water to leave the lake gradually, but still with considerable destructive power. The team led by engineer Raúl Sáez finished two months after beginning the works. May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ...

Previous earthquakes

There is evidence that a similar landslide and earthquake occurred in 1575. ^[4] Year 1575 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ...

References

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ...

External links

• USGS report on the earthquake
• Chilean earthquake and tsunami
• USGS: Chilean earthquake: surviving the tsunamis
• Tsunami of 1960
• Hawaii Events