December 7, 1903 Earthquake: Vallenar, Freirina, Chile

Name: December 7, 1903 Earthquake: Vallenar, Freirina, Chile
Start: 1903-12-07
Location: Vallenar, Freirina, Chile

December 7, 1903 · M6.5 · Deaths: few

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Vallenar, Freirina, Chile on December 7, 1903 at 14:25 UTC. It caused a tsunami.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: December 7, 1903
Time: 14:25 UTC
Place: Vallenar, Freirina, Chile
Magnitude: 6.5 (Ms)
Intensity: 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 28.500° S, 71.000° W
Country: Chile

The toll

Deaths: Few (about 1 to 50)
Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Houses destroyed: Some (about 51 to 100)

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.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

December 7, 1903, 10:09 [local time], 28.5 S, 71 W, magnitude 6.5 MS, tsunami validity likely. There was an earthquake in Chile, felt at least from Santiago in the south to Taltal in the north and La Rioja and Mendoza (Argentina) in the east, and particularly at La Serena (strongly), Caldera, and at the lighthouse on Tortuga Cape. It was felt at San Fernando. Aftershocks were registered. At Vallenar, the earthquake was very strong, accompanied by a rumbling and lasted more than a minute. Not a single home was left untouched. The residents panicked; the railway was damaged. The earthquake was also strong at Freirina where some buildings were damaged. Several walls collapsed at Huasco. The sea was very agitated. (reference #415)

December 7, 1903, 14:25 UTC, 28.57 S, 70.78 W, intensity VIII, casualties. (reference #1206)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1903 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1903 Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 6239.