The Great Chilean Earthquake: Valdivia, 1960 — The Day the Earth Moved for Ten Minutes

The Great Chilean Earthquake: Valdivia, 1960 — The Day the Earth Moved for Ten Minutes

July 7, 2026 · 4 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the largest earthquake ever recorded, its impacts, and the lessons learned from it.

The Great Chilean Earthquake — Valdivia, 1960 | Magnitude 9.5 Episode 14 of Weather With Enthusiasm On May 22, 1960, at 3:11 PM local time, the largest earthquake ever recorded by modern instruments struck the coast of southern Chile. What followed would reshape how humanity thinks about seismic risk, tsunami warning, and the terrifying reach of the natural world. KEY FACTS: • Magnitude: 9.5 Mw (USGS) — the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in history • Time: 3:11 PM local (19:11 UTC), May 22, 1960 • Location: Off the coast of southern Chile near Valdivia • Fault rupture: ~1,000 km, from Lebu to Puerto Aisén • Shaking duration: ~10 minutes • Depth: ~25 km FORESHOCKS: • May 21, 1960: Magnitude 8.1 hit Concepción — 125 dead, third of buildings destroyed before the main event even struck TSUNAMI IMPACTS: • Chile: Waves up to 25 meters (82 ft) Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weather-with-enthusiasm--4911017/support . Weather with Enthusiasm is produced by Kol Simcha Productions. New episodes drop daily (B'N)— a morning forecast at 7 AM and historical deep dives Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact: kolsimchaproductions@outlook.com Historical…

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Host: Simcha Lefton

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Places: Valdivia, Chile, Concepción, Puerto Aisén, Lebu

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