April 20, 1949 Earthquake: Angol, Traiguen, Chile

Name: April 20, 1949 Earthquake: Angol, Traiguen, Chile
Start: 1949-04-20
Location: Angol, Traiguen, Chile

April 20, 1949 · M7.3 · 57 deaths

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Angol, Traiguen, Chile on April 20, 1949 at 03:29:07 UTC, 70 km below the surface. It killed 57 people.

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: April 20, 1949
Time: 03:29:07 UTC
Place: Angol, Traiguen, Chile
Magnitude: 7.3 (Ms)
Focal depth: 70 km (43 mi)
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 38.000° S, 73.500° W
Country: Chile

The toll

Deaths: 57
Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

April 20, 1949, 03:29:07 UTC, 38 S, 73.5 W, magnitude 7.3 MS, depth 70 km. (reference #88)

April 20, 1949, 03:29:07 UTC, 38 S, 73.5 W, magnitude 7.3 MS, depth 70 km, casualties. (reference #1206)

April 20, 1949, 03:29:01 UTC, 38.5 S, 72.5 W, magnitude 7.4 MS, depth 70 km, Central Chile. Destructive in Angol and Traiguen. 57 killed and extensive property damage. (reference #45)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1949 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1949 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 3901.