1939 Chillán earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 1939 Chillán
earthquake
was a major earthquake in south-central Chile
. It is currently the single earthquake that has caused the most deaths in Chile. The earthquake occurred on 24 January 1939 and had an intensity of 8.3 MS
. The death toll was around 30,000, compared to the 2,000 of the Great Chilean Earthquake
of 1960.
was violently hit. Almost all of the buildings (around 95% of the houses) were completely destroyed.
There was a show going on in the theater of Concepción at the moment of the earthquake. The large chandelier that was suspended in the ceiling of the theater started to swing. The people inside were terrified, so they fled down the stairs, but the spiral staircase cracked, causing many people to fall into the gap.
In the intersection of O’Higgins and Aníbal Pinto avenue the bodies accumulated, which were later brought to the cemetery, and interred in large strips of land.
The electricity was cut in all of the city and tens of fires were reported in various points of the city. The potable water supply was also seriously affected. The material damages in all of the city were evaluated to be more than three thousand million pesos. Various emblematic buildings of the city were destroyed, like the central market , Correos de Chile
, but the most emblematic was the plaza of independence, which was seriously damaged. Its two towers leaned dangerously, and because of this they had to be demolished. Another building that was affected was the first building of the old Central Station of Concepción. In 1941, the construction of a second station building began.
Morphologically, the land corresponds to an alluvial plain, which predominates with fluvioglacial sediments, conformed during the Cuaternario by the action of the Rivers nuble and Cato in the north and the River Chillán in the south, both tributary streams of the large drainage basin of Itata. The natrural flow of the enclave of Chillán is confirmed by later geological studies, found the root of the earthquake of 1939, when a prospection of more than 80 meters was carried out, without finding the bedrock
.
Chillán
Chillán is a city in the Biobío Region of Chile located about south of the country's capital, Santiago, near the geographical center of the country. It is the capital of Ñuble Province and, with a population of approximately 170,000 people , the most populated urban center of this province...
earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
was a major earthquake in south-central Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. It is currently the single earthquake that has caused the most deaths in Chile. The earthquake occurred on 24 January 1939 and had an intensity of 8.3 MS
Surface wave magnitude
The surface wave magnitude scale is one of the magnitude scales used in seismology to describe the size of an earthquake. It is based on measurements in Rayleigh surface waves that travel primarily along the uppermost layers of the earth...
. The death toll was around 30,000, compared to the 2,000 of the Great Chilean Earthquake
Great Chilean Earthquake
The 1960 Valdivia earthquake or Great Chilean Earthquake of Sunday, 22 May 1960 is to date the most powerful earthquake ever recorded on Earth, rating 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale...
of 1960.
The earthquake in Chillán
At 23:32, the earth began to shake strongly underneath Chillán, destroying more than half of it, at around 3,500 homes (including the recently constructed Casa Rabié) which then was the city. After this quake, others came, which, although they were less intense, left the city completely destroyed. Until then, the Cathedral of Chillán had been one of the principal buildings of the area, but it was completely destroyed by the earthquake. The church that was built to replace the one destroyed in the earthquake was designed specifically to withstand future earthquakes.The earthquake in Concepción
Some minutes after the earthquake in Chillán, at 23:35, ConcepciónConcepción, Chile
Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Biobío Region or Region VIII. Greater Concepción is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants...
was violently hit. Almost all of the buildings (around 95% of the houses) were completely destroyed.
There was a show going on in the theater of Concepción at the moment of the earthquake. The large chandelier that was suspended in the ceiling of the theater started to swing. The people inside were terrified, so they fled down the stairs, but the spiral staircase cracked, causing many people to fall into the gap.
In the intersection of O’Higgins and Aníbal Pinto avenue the bodies accumulated, which were later brought to the cemetery, and interred in large strips of land.
The electricity was cut in all of the city and tens of fires were reported in various points of the city. The potable water supply was also seriously affected. The material damages in all of the city were evaluated to be more than three thousand million pesos. Various emblematic buildings of the city were destroyed, like the central market , Correos de Chile
Correos de Chile
Correos de Chile, also known as CorreosChile , is the institution in charge of the postal system of the Republic of Chile. It was founded in 1750.- External links :* * * *...
, but the most emblematic was the plaza of independence, which was seriously damaged. Its two towers leaned dangerously, and because of this they had to be demolished. Another building that was affected was the first building of the old Central Station of Concepción. In 1941, the construction of a second station building began.
Geology of Chillán
The community of Chillán is situated in the continental territory of Chile. The city of Chillán is built on a tectontic structure at the end of the Tertiary Period in the part of the Longitudinal Valley which is identified with the Central level.Morphologically, the land corresponds to an alluvial plain, which predominates with fluvioglacial sediments, conformed during the Cuaternario by the action of the Rivers nuble and Cato in the north and the River Chillán in the south, both tributary streams of the large drainage basin of Itata. The natrural flow of the enclave of Chillán is confirmed by later geological studies, found the root of the earthquake of 1939, when a prospection of more than 80 meters was carried out, without finding the bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
.
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