How deep underground was the Chile earthquake?

According to the United States Geological Survey, the epicenter was located at a depth of 50 kilometers (37 miles) underground. The substantial depth meant that the powerful quake did not cause the severe damage a shallower event of similar strength would have caused.

How deep was the focus of the Valdivia earthquake?

It was a typical subduction zone earthquake, occurring the near the shore at a focal depth of approximately 33 km (20 miles) and about 900 km (435 miles) south of the Chilean capital, Santiago.

What was the intensity of the 1960 Chile earthquake?

magnitude 9.5
On May 22, 1960, the most powerful earthquake in recorded history—magnitude 9.5—struck southern Chile. The rupture zone stretched from estimates ranging from 500 kilometers (311 miles) to almost 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) along the country’s coast.

What plate boundary was the Chile earthquake on 1960?

South American plate
It is subducting under (that is, being forced under) the South American plate. A sudden breaking in the rocks along a roughly 560–620-mile (900–1,000-km) stretch of the Nazca Plate caused the earthquake, which has been generally agreed to have had a magnitude of 9.5—the largest earthquake recorded in the 20th century.

What was the depth of the 1960 Chile earthquake?

The focus of the 9.5 (moment magnitud scale) eartquake of Valdivia 1960 was shallow, 33 km deep. Home Science Math and Arithmetic History

What was the focus of the Great Chilean earthquake?

The focus of the earthquake was relatively shallow at 33 km, as other earthquakes in the region are known to reach depths of 70 km. Focus is the point where an earthquake originates while epicenter is the point on Earth’s surface directly above the focus. The Great Chilean earthquake occurred at 15:11 on 22nd May 1960.

How big is an interplate earthquake in Chile?

Interplate earthquakes in this region are frequent and often large, and occur between the depths of approximately 10 and 60 km.

Where are deep focus earthquakes in South America?

Deep-focus earthquakes in South America are not observed from a depth range of approximately 300 to 500 km. Instead, deep earthquakes in this region occur at depths of 500 to 650 km and are concentrated into two zones: one that runs beneath the Peru-Brazil border and another that extends from central Bolivia to central Argentina.