World Map › Major Earthquakes Since 1900 › 1939
Historic Earthquake
1939 Chillán Earthquake
25 January 1939 · Chillan · Chile
On 25 January 1939 at 03:32 UTC, a magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck Chile (Chillan), at a depth of 60 km. It occurred on the South American Plate, 167 km from its boundary with the Nazca Plate (subduction zone). It killed at least 30,000 people. It is the 17th deadliest and the 37th most powerful of the earthquakes recorded since 1900.
- Date
- 25 January 1939
- Time
- 03:32 UTC
- Magnitude
- 8.3
- Depth
- 60 km
- Maximum Intensity
- X (Mercalli)
- Deaths
- 30,000
- Estimated Damage
- 920 million US dollars
- Tsunami
- Yes
- Plate
- South American Plate
- Country
- Chile
- Nearest Volcano
- Nevado de Longaví (98 km)
Nearby Major Earthquakes
Other major earthquakes recorded within 300 km.
- 20102010 Chile Earthquake · M 8.8558 deaths
- 19851985 Pichilemu Earthquake · M 7.52 deaths
- 1975Central · M 7.7
- 19601960 Valdivia Earthquake · M 9.52,226 deaths
- 19601960 Concepción Earthquake · M 8.2
- 19531953 Concepción Earthquake · M 7.69 deaths
- 1928Talca, Chillan · M 7.6279 deaths
- 1914Off Central Coast · M 7.6
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Significant Earthquake Database (doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K) · Wikidata · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Natural Earth