image:Terremotoblanco.jpg, 400px, Map of Chile showing communes in state of catastrophe during the White Earthquake in red. Communes in pink were declared zones of "agrarian emergency". Communes in both state of catastrophe and agrarian emergency are shown in dark red The White Earthquake ( es, Terremoto Blanco) was a climatic event consisting of intense winds, cold wave, cold, snowfall and rain that occurred through southern Chile in August 1995.A 24 años del terremoto blanco, que dejó una mortandad de 176 mil ovinos
Prensa Austral, 11 de agosto de 2019. Consultado el 23 de junio de 2020. 7,176 people were left isolated as result of the heavy snowfall and three died. By August 16 an estimated 176,000 sheep were dead, and 800,000 were in "critical condition". Besides agriculture, the forestry sector was also paralysed. Along Chile Route 9 a number of cars and two buses with passengers were trapped in snow. Various port facilities along the Chilean coast were destroyed or damaged in the event, including a pier in Bahía Catalina. A number of ships and boats were stranded, damaged or lost. The Chilean Navy lost one

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

and ten artisan fishing boats were lost, as well as a number of

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

s. The reefer ship ''Nayadic'' suffered damage that resulted in an

oil spill An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into t ...

. The ferry connection to Tierra del Fuego Island through Primera Angostura was closed down. Salmon farms were damaged and thousands of fish escaped. On 7 August, the Chilean government declared a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

in the southern half of the country, from

Maule Region The Maule Region ( es, Región del Maule, ) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Talca. The region derives its name from the Maule River which, running westward from the Andes, bisects the region and spans a ...

to Magallanes. The government of

Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo Alfredo Juan Bernardo Frei Ruiz–Tagle (; born 24 June 1942) is a Chilean politician and civil engineer who served as president of Chile from 1994 to 2000. He was also a Senator, fulfilling the role of President of the Senate from 2006 ...

sent vice-minister Belisario Velasco to

Punta Arenas Punta Arenas (; historically Sandy Point in English) is the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. The city was officially renamed as Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to "Punta Are ...

to monitor the situation in the far south.

Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy ( es, Armada de Chile) is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Origins and the War ...

ships ''Aquiles'', ''Chacabuco'' and ''Elicura'' transported fodder and firewood to various localities, in some cases despite severe weather conditions. After the cold spell ended, there were floods as a consequence of the thaw.

Meteorology

In Magallanes Region the winter of 1995 was somewhat colder and with more precipitation than usual but nothing particularly outstanding. The amounts of snow that fell in Punta Arenas in the whole winter of 1995 was measured at 33.6 cm, less than recorded in 1899, 1904, 1918, 1937 and 1977 when no crisis of the magnitude of the White Earthquake occurred. Scholars Ariel Santana and Wilfried Endlicher claim instead that a higher than usual windspeed was the key factor to trigger the 1995 crisis. News site ''El Pingüino'' of Punta Arenas mentions that similar but less severe climatic phenomena occurred in 1937 and 1958. The direct cause of the White Earthquake was an extremely large

subtropical cyclone A subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of both tropical and an extratropical cyclone. As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were uncertain whether they should be characterized as tropical or extratropical cyclon ...

that moved into Patagonia, influencing the weather as far away as Taltal, Calama and

San Pedro de Atacama San Pedro de Atacama is a Chilean town and commune in El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region. It is located east of Antofagasta, some 106 km (60 mi) southeast of Calama and the Chuquicamata copper mine, overlooking the Licancabur volcano. ...

in northern Chile. This low pressure area was blocked by the South Atlantic High, making its stay over Patagonia for a much longer time than usual for low pressure areas. This created conditions for cold southeasterly winds to enter Patagonia with air at 0°C at sea level and cooler at higher altitudes. As the prevailing winds come from the west, human habitation and nature is poorly prepared for southeasterly winds. Wind formed snowdrifts of up to two meters in some areas.

References

{{coord missing, Chile 1995 in Chile 1995 natural disasters Cold waves Weather events in Chile August 1995 events in South America Sheep farming in Chile Fishing in Chile Forestry in Chile Blizzards Weather events in Argentina 1995 in Argentina Sheep farming in Argentina 1995 meteorology History of Araucanía Region History of Magallanes Region History of Tierra del Fuego Presidency of Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Oil spills in Chile 1995 disasters in Chile 1995 disasters in Argentina

Meteorology

See also

References