1960 Chile Earthquake
The 1960 Chile earthquake has been the largest earthquake of the 20th Century.
The earthquake occurred beneath the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile on May 22 in 1960. This was the largest earthquake ever recorded by seismographs. It is recorded as a 9.5 magnitude earthquake. The earthquake destroyed one in every three homes in the port city of Valparaiso.
Local Damage from Earthquake and Tsunamis
This earthquake destroyed or damaged thousands of buildings. The statistics estimated that about 2 million people were left homeless. It was also quite fortunate that the earthquake occurred in the middle of the afternoon so many people would have been already awake.
Most of the damage and deaths were caused by a series of tsunamis that were generated by the earthquake. These strong waves swept…show more content… The evacuation of homes and buildings prior to the much larger 9.5 earthquake saved very many lives. The earthquake destroyed most of the buildings and homes near the epicentre.
Tsunami waves
Huge tsunami waves struck the coast 10 to 15 minutes after the major earthquake. They were approximately 75 ft. high and killed many people along the coastline. On the island of Chiloe people ran to their boats to escape when the shaking started. Tsunami waves shortly thereafter destroyed all the boats filled with people.
Tsunami Damage
This is one of the few earthquakes that has killed large numbers of people at distant locations. Tsunamis generated by the earthquake travelled across the Pacific Ocean at a speed of over 322 kilometres per hour. Changes in sea level were noticed all around the Pacific Ocean basin.
Fifteen hours after the earthquake a 35 ft. tsunami swept over coastal areas of Hawaii. Many facilities and buildings along the shoreline near coastal areas were destroyed. Near Hilo in Hawaii 61 people were reported killed by the