October 11, 1940 Earthquake: South Central, Chile

Name: October 11, 1940 Earthquake: South Central, Chile
Start: 1940-10-11
Location: South Central, Chile

October 11, 1940 · M7

A magnitude 7 earthquake struck South Central, Chile on October 11, 1940 at 18:41:13 UTC, 33 km below the surface. 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: October 11, 1940
Time: 18:41:13 UTC
Place: South Central, Chile
Magnitude: 7 (Ms)
Focal depth: 33 km (21 mi)
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 41.500° S, 74.500° W
Country: Chile

The toll

The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

October 11, 1940, 18:41:13 UTC, 41.5 S, 74.5 W, magnitude 7.0 MS, shallow depth. (reference #88)

October 11, 1940, 18:41:13 UTC, 41.5 S, 74.5 W, magnitude 7.0 MS, shallow depth. (reference #1206)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1940 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1940 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 6344.