December 16, 1575 Tsunami: Southern Chile

A severe earthquake caused heavy damage in Valdivia, Angol, Nueva Imperial, and damaged the surrounding areas approximately from Villarica to Osorno. Sizeable cracks appeared in the ground and landslides were also recorded, a river flowing from Lake Riniue became blocked in its upper reaches. The dam lasted until April of the following year, when after prolonged rains the water level in the lake rose considerably, causing the dam to burst and resulting in much devastation farther downstream; more than 1200 Indians perished and many cattle were lost as well. The earthquake caused a powerful tsunami in the area of Valdivia, located on a river of the same name about 25 km upstream from its mouth. The earth continued to shake for a quarter of an hour when the water came rushing upstream, reversing the natural flow of the river. The rising water knocked over houses, poles and uprooted trees. Two galleons, riding at anchor in this port were sunk (other accounts said they were washed up on shore). After the ebb, the inhabitants had time to flee to higher ground. About a hundred Indian fishermmen were drowned near the mouth of the Imperial River.

In Concepcion Bay, the tsunami caused no damage. There is no information about the occurrence of this tsunami in other areas.

(above from Reference #415)

1575, 3 p.m., Valdivia, magnitude 8.5, 1500 deaths, mostly from the tsunami. (reference #1170)

The [1575] tsunami took more than 1000 lives in small Indian communities around Valdivia and wrecked galleons in that city’s port. Despite these similarities with the 1960 event, there is no known account of a 1575 tsunami in Japan (Watanabe, 1998). (reference #13286)