Major Earthquakes of Chile: A Historical Survey, 1535-1960

Abstract

This paper is an update of a 1970 publication, “Major Earthquakes and Tsunamis in Chile” (Lomnitz, 1970), which appeared in the Geologische Rundschau , now International Journal of Earth Sciences. The reference has always been hard to find and in recent years has become almost impossible to locate. Additionally, the database was overdue for revision in light of more recent results. The earlier conclusion of the paper, that “Chile emerges as perhaps the most highly seismic region in the world, with the possible exception of Japan”, still stands. One might add that Chilean earthquakes have provided data for important historical advances in the Earth sciences. For example, the 1835 earthquake in southern Chile was described by Darwin (1845) and has provided the earliest reliable observations of geodetic uplift along a subduction zone. The 1960 Chile earthquake ( Mw 9.5), possibly the largest earthquake in world history, continues to provide invaluable data and challenges for research. Tectonic changes in the coastal morphology of Chile may well be unique (Lomnitz, 1969). As part of a 5,000-km subduction system and with a subduction rate of more than 7 cm/year, Chile is located atop one of the most highly active subduction zones in the world. Available information on the history of earthquakes in Chile is limited. This is partly due to the nature of the terrain. The northern part of Chile is a desert, where rain falls about once every 25 years. The southern part is extremely rainy and is covered with a dense rain forest. Farther south along the coast one finds glaciers. The country is also wedged between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains. With the exception of a few scattered ports, most of the population lives in a narrow longitudinal valley between latitudes 32° and 45° south. I have experienced …