December 28, 1966 Earthquake: Taltal, Catalina, Chile

Name: December 28, 1966 Earthquake: Taltal, Catalina, Chile
Start: 1966-12-28
Location: Taltal, Catalina, Chile

December 28, 1966 · M7.8 · 3 deaths · $400,000

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Taltal, Catalina, Chile on December 28, 1966 at 08:18:07 UTC, 47 km below the surface. It killed 3 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: December 28, 1966
Time: 08:18:07 UTC
Place: Taltal, Catalina, Chile
Magnitude: 7.8 (Ms)
Focal depth: 47 km (29 mi)
Intensity: 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 25.500° S, 70.700° W
Country: Chile

The toll

Deaths: 3
Injuries: 6
Damage: $400,000
Houses destroyed: Many (101 to 1,000)

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.

On December 28, 1966, at 4:18 [local time] there was a magnitude 8.0 earthquake in the north of Chile (25.5 S, 70.6 W, depth 47 km), which did substantial material damage in the Taltal region; three people died and at least six were injured. A tsunami arose. (reference #415)

The December 28, 1966, 08:18:07.4 UTC, magnitude 7.75 earthquake on the northern Chilean coast (25.5 S, 70.7 W, depth 47 km) destroyed, or seriously damaged, about half of the dwellings in Taltal. Three persons were killed and about 3,000 were made homeless. All of the structures in Catalina, about 50 miles east of Taltal, were heavily damaged. (reference #45)

Reference #1250 lists 4 deaths, $0.4 million damage.

Reference #1206 lists magnitude 7.8, intensity VIII.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1966 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1966 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 4383.