The San Diego Earthquake
By Natasha Fragos
In 1647 at 22:30 local time on the 14th of May an unexpected earthquake hit Santiago, Chile. The earthquake brought virtually every building to the ground, the shaking was felt throughout the
whole of Chile. The earthquake brought much tragedy from people to historical and memorable buildings such as Saint Augustine Church.
There were 1000 casualties leaving the country mourning over the loss of its people as well as the aftermath that the country was left in. What made the whole situation for Chile worse was the heavy rain and terrible weather staying with the country for many weeks after making it very difficult for sanitation, SES services, rebuilding houses, finding bodies, searching for people, pets etc.
Over these many weeks an estimated 2000 people died from typhus due to the un-sanitation the aftermath left behind. The earthquake also caused the city into an economic crisis and the government considered possibly moving the capital further north of Santiago but the idea was soon rejected and the reconstruction of the city was preferred.
Due to the fact that this earthquake was unexpected the after math was very dangerous as there was barely any preparation for an event this catastrophic, The country as a whole learned very
quickly about preparing for unexpected earthquakes and natural disasters after this horrific event.
In 1647 at 22:30 local time on the 14th of May an unexpected earthquake hit Santiago, Chile. The earthquake brought virtually every building to the ground, the shaking was felt throughout the
whole of Chile. The earthquake brought much tragedy from people to historical and memorable buildings such as Saint Augustine Church.
There were 1000 casualties leaving the country mourning over the loss of its people as well as the aftermath that the country was left in. What made the whole situation for Chile worse was the heavy rain and terrible weather staying with the country for many weeks after making it very difficult for sanitation, SES services, rebuilding houses, finding bodies, searching for people, pets etc.
Over these many weeks an estimated 2000 people died from typhus due to the un-sanitation the aftermath left behind. The earthquake also caused the city into an economic crisis and the government considered possibly moving the capital further north of Santiago but the idea was soon rejected and the reconstruction of the city was preferred.
Due to the fact that this earthquake was unexpected the after math was very dangerous as there was barely any preparation for an event this catastrophic, The country as a whole learned very
quickly about preparing for unexpected earthquakes and natural disasters after this horrific event.
Probability of shaking of San Diego in 1647
different
The Iquique Earthquake
By Monique Sheppard
The earthquake of a magnitude of 8.2 hit at a depth of just 10 kilometres and was centred 86 kilometres north-west of Iquique in northern Chile. It was reported that 4 men and a woman who died in the cities of Iquique and Alto Hospicio, either of a heart attack or after being crushed by debris. The first waves struck Chile's northern coast within 45 minutes of the quake, with roads left gridlocked as Chileans abandoned their coastal homes for higher ground. High-rise buildings (38 stories or less) showed no structural damage in Iquique beyond small pounding between structures, and localized moderate cracking and spalling in some columns. Large non-structural damage was observed in Zofri (Iquique’s free trade zone). Nonstructural failures contributed largely to the public’s awareness of damage. More than a million people felt the ground shaking. The seismic intensity was strongest in Iquique, Arica, and Tacna. The earthquake also generated a tsunami with a maximum water run up measured of 4.4 meters above sea level and 3.15 meters above sea level at Patache and Iquique, respectively . The tsunami affected mostly fishermens’ activities and all coastal towns from Arica to Iquique. The maximum inland penetration of water was 315 m at the Ike-Ike beach. The quake struck about 8:46 p.m. local time, some 60 miles northwest of Iquique. It had a depth of 12.5 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Chile's National Emergency Office asked coastal residents to evacuate. Residents in the port city of Antofagasta walked calmly through the streets to higher ground as traffic piled up in places. There have been a number of aftershocks and communications have been cut off in many of the areas that were affected the most. So people are waiting in the dark hills not knowing what is to come, and hoping they will be able to return to their homes safely. |
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The Valdivia Earthquake
By Kate Lee
The 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile was the largest earthquake that happened in the 20th Century. On May 22, 1960 off the coast in southern Chile this destruction destroyed many lives and infrastructures on land and in the distant Pacific coastal areas, there were tsunamis generated as a result. At approximately 7 pm, the earthquake had hit nearly 160 km off the coast of Chile (a near city of Valdivia). The tsunami that had occurred after the earthquake 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. The epicentre was around 570 km south of Santiago, with Temuco being the closest large city, while Valdivia was the most affected city.
More than 2,000 were killed, 3,000 were injured, 2,000,000 homeless and $550 million damage in total in southern Chile. The tsunami that occurred after the earthquake along the coast of Chile from Lebu to Puerto Aisen 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.
The shock was estimated to be around the magnitude of 9.5 and a series of four foreshocks that had occurred with a magnitude of more than 7.0, which caused incredible damage on that area of Concepción. Many aftershocks happened with 5 of them with the magnitude of 7.0 and greater.Many cities in Chile including Valdivia and Puerto Montt, where the occurrence of the earthquake was noticeable, early half of the building were stated uninhabitable and sustained a massive damage. Two days later the Cordón-Caulle volcano in Los Lagos in the Chilean lake district, erupted after nearly 40 years of inactivity, an event thought by some seismologists to be linked to the quake.
The 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile was the largest earthquake that happened in the 20th Century. On May 22, 1960 off the coast in southern Chile this destruction destroyed many lives and infrastructures on land and in the distant Pacific coastal areas, there were tsunamis generated as a result. At approximately 7 pm, the earthquake had hit nearly 160 km off the coast of Chile (a near city of Valdivia). The tsunami that had occurred after the earthquake 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. The epicentre was around 570 km south of Santiago, with Temuco being the closest large city, while Valdivia was the most affected city.
More than 2,000 were killed, 3,000 were injured, 2,000,000 homeless and $550 million damage in total in southern Chile. The tsunami that occurred after the earthquake along the coast of Chile from Lebu to Puerto Aisen 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.
The shock was estimated to be around the magnitude of 9.5 and a series of four foreshocks that had occurred with a magnitude of more than 7.0, which caused incredible damage on that area of Concepción. Many aftershocks happened with 5 of them with the magnitude of 7.0 and greater.Many cities in Chile including Valdivia and Puerto Montt, where the occurrence of the earthquake was noticeable, early half of the building were stated uninhabitable and sustained a massive damage. Two days later the Cordón-Caulle volcano in Los Lagos in the Chilean lake district, erupted after nearly 40 years of inactivity, an event thought by some seismologists to be linked to the quake.