May 6, 1953 Earthquake: Chillan, Concepcion, Chile

Name: May 6, 1953 Earthquake: Chillan, Concepcion, Chile
Start: 1953-05-06
Location: Chillan, Concepcion, Chile

May 6, 1953 · M7.6 · 9 deaths · $500 million

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Chillan, Concepcion, Chile on May 6, 1953 at 17:16:43 UTC, 60 km below the surface. It killed 9 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: May 6, 1953
Time: 17:16:43 UTC
Place: Chillan, Concepcion, Chile
Magnitude: 7.6 (ML)
Focal depth: 60 km (37 mi)
Intensity: 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 36.500° S, 72.500° W
Country: Chile

The toll

Deaths: 9
Injuries: 26
Damage: $500 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.

May 6, 1953 at 1:18 p.m. (17:18 GCT). Chillan. This earthquake occurred much in the same epicentral region as the great Chillan shock of 1939. Extensive damage occurred in Chillan, Concepion, and other towns. Nine persons were killed. This earthquake was widely interpreted by engineers as a test of the new building code and practices introduced after the 1939 disaster. None of the newer buildings suffered structural damage; but the intensities were lower than in 1939. The performance of the new code was nevertheless impressive. The magnitude was about 7 1/2 and the focal depth was about 60 km. No tsunami (Table 1). (reference #252)

May 6, 1953, 17:16:43 UTC, 36.5 S, 73 W. 6 killed, 26 injured. $32 million damage in Concepcion, Chilian, Los Antgeles, and Talcuahuano. Depth about 60 km, magnitude 7.6. (reference #45)

May 6, 1953, 17:16:49 UTC, 36.5 S, 72.5 W, magnitude 7.6 MS, depth 60 km. (reference #88)

May 6, 1953, 17:16:43 UTC, 36.5 S, 73 W, magnitude 7.6 MS, intensity X, depth 60 km, casualties. (reference #1206)

May 6, 1953, 12 killed, $500 million damage. (reference #1250)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1953 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1953 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 4021.