The 1822 Valparaíso earthquake was a major

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

that occurred in Valparaíso, Chile on November 19, 1822. The earthquake has an estimated

surface wave magnitude The surface wave magnitude (M_s) scale is one of the Seismic scale#Magnitude scales, magnitude scales used in seismology to describe the size of an earthquake. It is based on measurements of Rayleigh wave, Rayleigh surface waves that travel alon ...

of 8.5. It triggered a moderate

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

measuring up to along the Chilean coast. The earthquake and tsunami killed between 72 and 300 people and left a further 200 injured.

Earthquake

Based on the historical accounts from Maria Graham, a British travel writer who documented her experience in the earthquake, seismologists concluded that the event was likely a result of thrust faulting. A deep section of the Peru-Chile subduction zone ruptured at a plausible depth of around 40 km. This depth is similar to the 2007 Tocopilla and 1906 Valparaíso earthquakes.

Damage

The earthquake was felt for as much as five minutes. In Concón, three distinct jolts were felt with the second being the most intense and lasting two minutes. A loud rumbling noise that seemed to be emanating from the ground was heard. The luminous activity was also seen in the sky during the quake. A canal connected to the Aconcagua River was buried and suffered cracks by collapsing debris when the riverbank failed. In Quintero, palm trees were permanently deformed when the earthquake caused them to lean to one side. Nearly every home in the city was so badly damaged by the earthquake and resulting fire that residing in them was impossible. Near the Aconcagua River, the city Quillota also saw the destruction of many homes. Is it said that only 20 homes and a church survived the shocks. Near

Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...

, the city of

Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune on Zona Central, Chile, central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located withi ...

was near totally destroyed. Nearby cities including Limache and La Ligua were also damaged. In

, the earthquake razed at least 700 private homes and countless public homes to the ground. The port area of the city suffered extensive damage because it was situated on loose

alluvium Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

. Many mud homes crumbled as a result. Most of the damaged structures were those constructed with bricks. Wooden and stone homes were either undamaged or lightly affected. The violent shocks caused active mines to cave in and collapse, killing many workers. Illapel and San Felipe also suffered severe damage. In Santiago, the earthquake was felt VII on the

Mercalli intensity scale The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS) measures the effects of an earthquake at a given location. This is in contrast with the seismic magnitude usually reported for an earthquake. Magnitude scales measure the inherent force or ...

, causing damage to 30 buildings.

Quote

Tsunami

Three distinct waves struck the coast after the earthquake. A flagship used in rescue and recovery of the earthquake was carried by the first tsunami wave and stranded near the gates of a customs office. The surge retreated, leaving many vessels stranded on the seafloor. After a few minutes, two additional but weaker waves struck the coast.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1822 Valparaiso earthquake Earthquakes in Chile 1822 in Chile 1822 disasters in Chile November 1822 Tsunamis in Chile

Earthquake

Damage

Quote

Tsunami

See also

References