What was the intensity of the Valdivia earthquake?
The earthquake that struck near Valdivia, Chile, in 1960 was the most powerful temblor in recorded history. The quake left about 2 million people homeless. On May 22, 1960, the most powerful earthquake in recorded history—magnitude 9.5—struck southern Chile.
How much energy did the 1960 Chile earthquake release?
The seismic energy released by the 1960 Chile quake was equal to about 20,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs. Thousands were killed. It also triggered a tsumami that traveled 17,000 km across the Pacific Ocean and killed hundreds in Japan.
What type of earthquake was the Chile earthquake in 1960?
megathrust earthquake
The earthquake was a megathrust earthquake resulting from the release of mechanical stress between the subducting Nazca Plate and the South American Plate, on the Peru–Chile Trench.
What did the Chile earthquake measure on the Richter scale?
The earthquake hit at 3:11 pm approximately 100 miles (160 km) off the coast of Chile, parallel to the city of Valdivia. The shock is generally agreed to have had a magnitude of 9.5, though some studies alternately proposed that it may have been 9.4 or 9.6.
What is intensity in earthquake?
The intensity is a number (written as a Roman numeral) describing the severity of an earthquake in terms of its effects on the earth’s surface and on humans and their structures. Several scales exist, but the ones most commonly used in the United States are the Modified Mercalli scale and the Rossi-Forel scale.
How does the Richter scale work?
The Richter scale calculates an earthquake’s magnitude (size) from the amplitude of the earthquake’s largest seismic wave recorded by a seismograph. On the original Richter scale, the smallest earthquakes measurable at that time were assigned values close to zero on the seismograph of the period.
What kind of damage did the Valdivia earthquake cause?
Approximately 1,655 killed, 3,000 injured, 2,000,000 homeless, and $550 million damage in southern Chile; tsunami caused 61 deaths, $75 million damage in Hawaii; 138 deaths and $50 million damage in Japan; 32 dead and missing in the Philippines; and $500,000 damage to the west coast of the United States.
What type of plate movement caused the Valdivia earthquake?
The 1960 Chile earthquake was caused by the Nazca plate releasing tension and descending 15 meters underneath the South American Plate. It happened 30.5 km off the Chilean coast….CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LARGEST EARTHQUAKE EVER RECOREDED.
| Date: | May 22nd, 1960 |
|---|---|
| Depth: | 55 meters below the sea surface |
| Plates Involved: | Nazca Plate & S. American Plate |
What is the highest intensity of earthquake?
Although the Richter Scale has no upper limit, the largest known shocks have had magnitudes in the 8.8 to 8.9 range. Recently, another scale called the moment magnitude scale has been devised for more precise study of great earthquakes. The Richter Scale is not used to express damage.
Is intensity 2 and magnitude 2 of an earthquake the same Why?
Magnitude and Intensity measure different characteristics of earthquakes. Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake. Magnitude is determined from measurements on seismographs. Intensity measures the strength of shaking produced by the earthquake at a certain location.
What is the intensity of earthquake?
Is intensity 2 and magnitude 2 of an earthquake the same?
What were the impacts of the Valdivia earthquake?
What effect did the Valdivia earthquake have on the environment?
This natural phenomenal-The earthquake in Chile had transformed the land and some of the land was forever changed by the enormous energy that was being released from below. It caused huge lands slides that were so big that they even changed the course of rivers.
How big was the earthquake in Chile in 1960?
The magnitude of the 1960 earthquake in Chile is roughly 1.3 times that of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. The Chile earthquake of 1960 remains the largest earthquake recorded to date.
How did the 2010 Chile earthquake affect the world?
Sinking of the ground due to the earthquake, known as subsidence, produced local flooding in Chile. This permanently altered the shorelines of much of the area in Chile impacted by the earthquake, rendering all marine navigational charts of the affected areas obsolete.
What happened on the 21st May 1960 in Chile?
The 21st of May 1960 was a Saturday and in Chile most people were preparing for the traditional commemoration of the Battle of Iquique, a naval battle which Chile lost against Peru during the War of the Pacific at the end of the 19th century. Suddenly, at two minutes after 6 am local time,…
What was the Valdivia earthquake of 1960?
A forlorn man sitting amongst the rubble in the city of Valdivia after the 9.5 quake in 1960. Source: Press Association (Click to view larger image.)