The Strongest Earthquake Ever Recorded Hits Valdivia
Offshore Valdivia, Los Rios, Chile
CONFIRMED93% CONFIDENCEThe USGS[2][3] catalogue gives 1960-05-22T19:11:20Z as the origin time of event official19600522191120_30; the source[1] states "19:11:14 UTC, 15:11:14 local time", six seconds earlier, and the catalogue value is used here.
A magnitude 9.5 megathrust rupture off southern Chile shook for ten minutes — the strongest earthquake ever instrumentally recorded. Its tsunami crossed the Pacific and struck Hilo, Hawaii, with waves 10.7 m high.
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