4.6mb
Chile · UTC
Chile earthquakes: the largest since 1900
The historical catalogue includes USGS M6+ from 1900, M4.5+ from 1970 and delivered events since the project began. It is not a complete record of all small earthquakes.
- Largest magnitude
- M 9.51960 · Araucanía
- Deepest
- 127 km2024 · San Pedro de Atacama
- Most recent
- M 6.92026 · Calama
- Magnitude 8 or larger
- 91900–2026
Timeline
Each dot is one earthquake in this selection; its height shows the magnitude. Select a dot to jump to its entry.
The earthquakes one by one
A selection of strong or high-impact earthquakes. Values are from the USGS catalogue; national agencies may publish a different magnitude or location. Mw, Ms and mb are different scales and not directly comparable.
- 8.2Mw
Valparaíso (Valparaíso)
- Depth 35 km · Shallow
Destroyed much of Valparaíso and was strongly felt in Santiago, the defining Chilean earthquake of the early 20th century.
Open record - 8.5Mw
Vallenar (Atacama)
- Depth 70 km · Intermediate depth
The Vallenar earthquake in the Atacama region, which sent a tsunami onto the Atacama coast.
Open record - 7.7Mw
- 7.85Mw
San Carlos (Ñuble)
- Depth 35 km · Shallow
The Chillán earthquake, the deadliest in Chilean history. The government development agency CORFO was founded in its aftermath to drive reconstruction.
Open record - 8.1Mw
Cañete (Biobío)
- Depth 25 km · Shallow
The Concepción earthquake struck one day before Valdivia. Only afterwards did it become clear that it was the start of the largest earthquake sequence ever recorded.
Open record - 9.5Mw
Araucanía
- Depth 25 km · Shallow
The largest earthquake ever measured. The rupture ran for roughly a thousand kilometres along southern Chile, and the tsunami crossed the Pacific to Hawaii and Japan.
Open record - 8Mw
- 8Mw
- 7.8Mwb
- 7.7Mwc
- 8.8Mww
Cobquecura (Ñuble)
- Depth 23 km · Shallow
- Offshore epicentre
Known in Chile as 27F. Its tsunami struck Constitución, Talcahuano and the Juan Fernández Islands. USGS lists it among the largest earthquakes in the world since 1900.
Open record - 8.2Mww
Iquique (Tarapacá)
- Depth 25 km · Shallow
- Offshore epicentre
Preceded by weeks of earthquakes in the same area off Iquique, a sequence that could only be recognised as foreshocks in hindsight.
Open record - 8.3Mww
Illapel (Coquimbo)
- Depth 22 km · Shallow
- Offshore epicentre
An offshore earthquake in the Coquimbo region whose tsunami hit the coast, especially the city of Coquimbo.
Open record - 7.6Mww
- 7.4Mww
- 6.9Mww
Why Chile has the world's largest earthquakes
Along the whole coast, the Nazca Plate sinks beneath South America at about 6 to 7 cm a year. This subduction zone is more than 4,000 km long, and when long segments of it slip at once, earthquakes reach magnitude 8 and 9.
The sinking slab also produces intermediate-depth earthquakes beneath northern Chile and the Andes, such as Tarapacá 2005. These are felt across wide areas but usually cause less damage than shallow events.
Chile among the world's largest
Two Chilean earthquakes are on the USGS list of the 20 largest since 1900: Valdivia 1960 at the top and Maule 2010. For comparison, the 1964 Alaska earthquake was magnitude 9.2 and Tōhoku 2011 was 9.1.
Before the instrumental era, Charles Darwin described the 1835 Concepción earthquake, and the 1868 Arica and 1877 Iquique earthquakes caused Pacific-wide tsunamis. Official reports today come from Chile's National Seismological Center (CSN), and tsunami warnings from the Navy's SHOA.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest earthquake ever recorded?
The Valdivia earthquake in Chile on 22 May 1960, magnitude 9.5. Its tsunami caused deaths as far away as Hawaii and Japan.
How often does Chile have big earthquakes?
Since 1900 the USGS catalogue lists about a dozen magnitude 8 or larger earthquakes in Chile and offshore, roughly one every few years. The next one cannot be predicted.
What should travellers in Chile do during an earthquake?
Protect yourself until the shaking stops. On the coast, if shaking is strong or long, move to high ground following the blue tsunami evacuation signs without waiting for an official alert.
Known events in this window: 60 · 2026
- 4.2mb
- 4.4mb
- 4.4mb
- 4.2mb
- 4.4mb
- 4mb
- 4.5mb
- 4.8mb
- 4.6mb
- 5.1mww
- 4.8mww
- 4.6mb
- 4.7mwr
- 4.8mb
- 5mww
- 4.5mb
- 4.5mwr
- 4.6mb
- 4.6mwr
- 4.5mb
- 4.5mb
- 5.1mww
- 4.7mb
- 4.6mb
- 4.7mb
- 6.9mww
- 4.7mb
- 4.6mb
- 5.5mww
- 4.6mwr
- 4.7mwr
- 4.5mb
- 4.5mwr
- 4.8mb
- 4.5mb
- 4.7mwr
- 4.9mb
- 4.8mb
- 4.5mb
- 5.1mww
- 4.6mb
- 4.9mwr
- 4.9mb
- 4.8mb
- 4.7mb
- 4.6mb
- 4.8mwr
- 4.6mb
- 6.1mww
Catalogue coverage
The historical catalogue includes USGS M6+ from 1900, M4.5+ from 1970 and delivered events since the project began. It is not a complete record of all small earthquakes.
— UTC
TimelineContinue exploring
How to look up a historical earthquake
Start with a year and narrow it down by month if you know the approximate date. Check origin time and epicentre to distinguish earthquakes in the same sequence. Older records capture mainly larger events. An increase in entries across decades can reflect better detection as well as changes in seismic activity.