March 15, 1657 Earthquake: Concepcion, Chillan, Chile

A strong earthquake on March 15 (20:00 Local time) occurred in Chile between the provinces of Maule and Kautin, approximately between 37 deg and 39 deg S. This quake affected an area to the south all the way to Chillan, where the only remaining church of that region was destroyed. Reports of destruction in Santiago apparently were erroneous, for if the earthquake was felt there, it was very weak. By this time, only Concepcion (all of modern Penco), with a population 20 thousand, remained in Spanish hands, and it was besieged by insurrecting Indians. The earthquake was accompanied by a frightful rumbling sound, almost as if it were rolling through mountain canyons. People could not stand on their feet. Although the earthquake was weaker than some earlier quakes, most of the buildings were completely destroyed (it is not clear whether from the earthquake or the tsunami), and only one cathedral remained standing. A fire ball is said to have appeared in the sky "bounding about the clouds like a wagon wheel". After the earthquake, the sea level rose and exceeded its normal high mark "with ruthless fury." The tsunami, which may have started with an ebb, affected a considerable section of the shore. In fact, there were at least three large waves. Magnitude 7 1/4.

(above from reference #415)

March 15, 1657, 3p.m. Second Concepcion earthquake... More people died by drowning than from the effects of the earthquake proper... The size of the tsunami was comparable to that of 1570 and of 1835 but the earthquake itself seems to have been slightly less severe. At any rate, it did not leave as deep an impression on contemporary writers. There is no mention of fissures in the ground or of craterlets, and the aftershock sequence cannot have been as alarming as in 1570. Combining these data with the late arrival of the tsunami lends to the assumption of an offshore epicenter located about 100 km. from Concepcion. The magnitude of the

earthquake may have been in the neighborhood of 8. (reference #252)

March 15, 1657, 23:30 UTC, 36.83 S, 73.030 W, magnitude 8 MS, intensity XI, tsunami, casualties. (reference #1206)