1960 Valdivia Earthquake – The Largest Ever Recorded episode artwork

EPISODE · May 22, 2026 · 5 MIN

1960 Valdivia Earthquake – The Largest Ever Recorded

from Earthquake!

On May 22, 1960 at 3:11 p.m. local time, a magnitude 9.5 earthquake struck the coast of southern Chile. It was the largest earthquake ever recorded and what followed was not a single disaster but a cascade: tsunamis, landslides, flooding, and a volcanic eruption. Please scroll down for timestamps and safety information. 👇 Important message: We want to remove ads from the QuakeFeed app ASAP! We'd love to remove them from our podcast, too.  Here's how you can support the work we're doing and keep our servers up and running: 1) Subscribe to QuakeFeed Premium; 2) Rate / review QuakeFeed in the App Store; 3) Rate / review this podcast in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc; 4) Subscribe to our free Substack and consider pledging a future paid subscription. 5) Share this with your friends so that we can grow our audience. Thank you 🙏 🫶 ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 00:18 – Date, magnitude, location 00:35 – Tectonic setting: Peru-Chile Trench 01:13 – Foreshock sequence 01:38 – M9.5 mainshock; fault rupture 01:55 – Earthquake impact in Valdivia 02:11 – Local tsunami 02:36 – Third wave largest and most destructive 02:52 – Ocean-wide tsunami 03:05 – Hawaii tsunami warning 03:24 – Hilo, Hawaii tragedy 03:48 – Landslides; Riñihue Lake 04:29 – Cordón Caulle eruption 04:47 – Learn more + closing thoughts   📚 Learn More 🔗 1960 Valdivia Earthquake (QuakeFeed Substack) https://quakefeed.substack.com/p/the-1960-great-chilean-earthquake   🌊 Tsunami Safety Information 🔗 Know Your Zone https://quakefeed.substack.com/p/know-your-zone 🔗 1964 Good Friday Earthquake (includes tsunami safety info) https://quakefeed.substack.com/p/1964-good-friday-earthquake 🔗 Ready.gov Tsunami Safety Info https://www.ready.gov/tsunamis   📱 Download QuakeFeed for Real-Time Alerts Stay informed – get the QuakeFeed app now: https://apps.apple.com/app/quakefeed-earthquake-alerts/id403037266 Subscribe to QuakeFeed Premium for the full range of features – it's free for 30-days for first-time subscribers.   🌍 Connect with Us Substack: https://quakefeed.substack.com YouTube: https://youtube.com/@QuakeFeed Instagram: https://instagram.com/QuakeFeed Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/QuakeFeed   🙌 Support the Show If you found this episode helpful, please rate, review, and share it. Your support helps others stay informed and prepared.   🎵 Music By Soularflair Bio on FMA: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Soularflair/bio CC-BY License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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1960 Valdivia Earthquake – The Largest Ever Recorded

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This episode was published on May 22, 2026.

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On May 22, 1960 at 3:11 p.m. local time, a magnitude 9.5 earthquake struck the coast of southern Chile. It was the largest earthquake ever recorded and what followed was not a single disaster but a cascade: tsunamis, landslides, flooding, and a...

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