EVENT: 1960 Valdivia, Chile Earthquake and Tsunami—The May 22, 1960 magnitude 9.5 Chilean earthquake was the largest earthquake ever instrumentally recorded. The earthquake generated a tsunami that was not only destructive along the coast of Chile, but also caused numerous casualties and extensive property damage throughout the Pacific Ocean basin. The maximum rise of water was 25 meters (82 ft) on Isla Mocha, Chile. The number of deaths in Chile associated with these catastrophic events is uncertain, but has been estimated between 490 to 5,700. In Hawaii, the tsunami caused 61 deaths and over $23.5 million (1960) in damage. On the West Coast of the U.S., two deaths took place and approximately $1 million in damages. The tsunami also resulted in deaths in Japan and the Philippines. The damage from the earthquake and tsunami totaled close to $1 billion dollars. The global extent of this tsunami led to the creation of the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System.
PHOTO DETAILS: Inundation of waterfront areas at Crescent City Wharf during the tsunami. Crescent City Wharf is over 6,000 miles from the tsunami source. Image courtesy of Orville Magoon, U.S. Geological Survey. https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazardimages/#/tsunami/25/image/2297
More images from this event are available in the NCEI Natural Hazards Image Database. Any parties interested in contributing photographs to this free and public resource may contact NCEI for submission requirements at haz.info@noaa.gov or Lindsey Wright at lindsey.m.wright@noaa.gov.
Link to NCEI Natural Hazards Image Database: https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazardimages/#/
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