It had a magnitude of 9.5 on the Richter scale and occurred near Valdivia, Chile.
This day in 1960 marks the anniversary of the strongest earthquake in recorded history i.e. since seismographic measurements began. It occurred near Valdivia in Chile, south of the country’s capital, Santiago. The epicenter of the earthquake was near Lumaco, some 30 km from the Pacific coast.
The earthquake measured an incredible 9.5 on the Richter scale and led to the death of around 6000 people. It afflicted an area of more than 400,000 square kilometers, i.e. more than half of the total territory of Chile and more than the entire land area of Germany.
The Tsunami after the earthquake was so destructive that it caused the death of 61 people in Hawaii. Waves several meters high reached even the coast of Japan.
