October 5, 1859 Earthquake: Chile

October 5, 1859, 8:00 [local time]. At Copiapo, after a terrifying rumble, there was a severe earthquake, lasting about 4 minutes. Weaker shocks, with a dull rumbling, continued through the day, almost without interruption. Aftershocks were felt at least until October 19.

The earthquake caused considerable destruction: 115 homes collapsed and 224 homes were rendered unfit to live in. The total damage was estimated at $930,000. The embankment of the Copiapo - Caldera railway crumbled on a 25 km (6 leagues) stretch. Cracks appeared in the ground at many places.

At Tierra-Amarilla, the buildings rocked like pendulums and many were damaged. A cave-in occurred at the "Carmen-Alto" mine, and 8 or 10 men were buried. At La Serena an underground rumbling was heard, which was followed by very long period oscillations.

The earthquake was felt for 1 1/2 + minutes at Caldera; it caused great damage. A blast furnace collapsed. The sea withdrew from shore several times. The level fell by 6 m (19 feet) and the bottom was laid bare for a distance of 150 m from the low tide mark. All ships in the port suffered some damage.

(above from reference #415)

October 5, 1859, at 8 a.m. Third Copiapo Earthquake. This earthquake is poorly documented. The railway tracks between Copiapo and Caldera were damaged. More than 100 homes were demolished in Copiapo. The smelting furnace in Caldera was destroyed. Port installations in Caldera were seriously damaged by the tsunami. Moderate tsunami (Table 1). (reference #252)

October 5, 1859, 12:40 GMT. Chile, Caldera, Copiapo, intensity II which corresponds to buildings may be unroofed or shattered and some may fall, the ground may be badly cracked in places and small landslips occur. (reference #1055)

October 5, 1859, 12:00 UTC, 27.35 S, 70.35 W, magnitude 7.6 MS, intensity X, tsunami, casualties. (reference #1206)