M7.5 earthquake 23 km SE of Chiguayante, Chile
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck 23 km SE of Chiguayante, Chile on Wed, May 6, 1953, 1:16 PM GMT-4 (17:16 UTC), 66 km (41 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 7.5 (Mw, moment), major
- Magnitude from
- ISC-GEM global catalog
- Local time
- UTC
- 1953-05-06 17:16:48 UTC
- Depth
- 66.0 km (41.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 37.093° S, 72.866° W
- Region
- Chile
- Strongest shaking
- VII, very strong shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Deaths and damage
From NOAA NCEI’s Significant Earthquake Database (record 4021), matched to this event by time and place.
- Deaths
- 9
- Injuries
- 26
- Damage
- $500 million
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
From Wikipedia
The 1953 Concepción earthquake occurred on May 6 at 17:16 UTC (13:16 local time). The epicenter was located offshore Biobío Region, Chile. It had a magnitude of Ms 7.6, or ML 7.6. Twelve people were reported dead in this earthquake.
In Concepción, 15% of the buildings were damaged. Electricity and gas were not affected. However, the electricity service was suspended as a precaution.
In Chillán, the intensity reached MM X. Many houses were destroyed. The electricity, telegraph, and telephone services were interrupted.
In Tomé, several houses were damaged, and many families stayed in the open.
This earthquake was located close to the 1939 Chillán earthquake. However, the focal mechanism of the 1953 Concepción earthquake was reverse faulting, while that of the 1939 Chillán earthquake was normal faulting. It was not clear whether the 1953 Concepción earthquake was an interplate or intraplate earthquake.
Text from Wikipedia, “1953 Concepción earthquake”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Quoted as written; the full article has the rest.
The article is about the earthquake NOAA’s record describes, matched to this one by date, place and magnitude.
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VII, very strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 33.5% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 3.1 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.22
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 4.5 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem891664. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 3:10 AM UTC.