The Great Earthquakes of May 1960 

 in Chile ' 



By Pierre Saint-Amand 



U.S. Naval Ordnance Test Station, 

 China Lake, Calif. 



[With 10 plates] 



INTRODUCTION 



During the period of May through June 1960 there occurred a 

 series of earthquakes and seismic sea waves ^ of catastrophic propor- 

 tions that devasted large areas of Chile. An eruption of Volcan 

 Puyehue occurred. A minor eruption of Volcan Calbuco began on 

 January 25 of the following year, and the uplift and subsidence along 

 the coastline caused by the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami 

 rendered all marine navigational charts of the affected areas obso- 

 lete. All small boats, several ships, and all docking facilities were 

 destroyed. The times of high and low tides in the Gulf of Chiloe 

 were changed. 



Apart from the physical changes of the terrain, the damage to 

 industry, private property, utilities, and commmiications was both 

 widespread and catastrophic in its effect. Recovery will take many 

 years and vast sums of money. Known deaths from the earthquake 

 numbered about 500, and, from the maremotos, about 1,000. The 

 number of injured ran into thousands, and there are still numbers 

 of persons missing and unaccounted for. 



Except for some notable instances of local initiative, the commu- 

 nications systems broke down and rumor magnified the incidents and 

 damage far beyond the facts; until commmiications and news media 

 were restored, various degrees of chaos prevailed in isolated areas, 

 compounding the difficulties of relief efforts. Despite the incredible 

 conditions and persistent bad weather, some semblance of normality 



1 Keprinted by permission, in modified form, from Technical Article 14, Michelson Labora- 

 tories, U.S. Naval Ordnance Test Station, China Lake, Calif., August 1961. 



- In geological terminology, known by the Japanese name "tsunami" or the Spanish name 

 "maremoto." These names will henceforth be used in this article. 



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