July 9, 1971 Earthquake: Central, Chile

On July 9 [mistakenly listed as 7] 1971 at 22:03 [local time] a catastrophic earthquake of magnitude 7.5 occurred in Chile (32.5 S, 71.2 W, depth 58 km) leaving 84 people dead, 447 injured, and 40,000 homeless. The epicenter was 75 km northwest of Santiago. Thousands of people were stranded without electricity, drinking water, or telephone service. Several communities were isolated by landslides which blocked highways and railroad tracks. The port of Valparaiso suffered the most. The maximum intensity of X points on the Rossi-Fore1 scale was observed in Ilapel and Salamanca where nearly 30 buildings were destroyed or damaged. In Valparaiso and Vina del Mar the earthquake was felt with intensities of VI1 and IX points. In La Ligua nearly 80 buildings were destroyed or damaged and in Llay-Llay the number was 90. In Santiago, crowds of frightened people ran through the streets. Building walls cracked and water jets gushed from broken mains. Damage was also reported from Conception Island. Shocks were felt in Mendoza, Tucuman, Bahia Blanca, La Plata, San Juan, Cordoba, and Buenos Aires (Argentina). This earthquake caused a weak tsunami with a height of 1.2 m which was observed in Valparaiso. (reference #417)

83 killed, 447 injured and widespread property damage damage in central Chile. 1.2 meter tsunami at Valparaiso (reference #1053)

$236.4 on July 8 (local time). (reference #1250)

July 9, 1971, 03:03:16..9 UTC, 32.511 S, 71.207 W, depth 40 km, magnitude 7.5 MS, intensity IX, tsunami, casualties. (reference #1206)

July 9, 1971, 03:03:18.7 UTC, 32.5 S, 71.2 W, depth 58 km, magnitude 7.5 MS. 83 killed, 447 injured and widespread property damage. Tsunami (1.2 m) at Valparaiso. (reference #45)

1971, July 9 03:03:19.79 UTC. 32.558 S, 71.085 W, depth 59 km, 7.8 Mw P&S, 7.7 Ms ABE1. (reference #9910)