the 1960 valdivia earthquake is the biggest recorded earthquake in history.
the 1960 valdivia earthquake is the biggest recorded earthquake in history.
what is the biggest recorded earthquake in history?
the 1960 valdivia earthquake
1960 concepción earthquakes









































the 1960 concepción earthquakes were a succession of three destructive earthquakes that happened between 21 and 22 may 1960. they formed part of the foreshock sequence for the 1960 valdivia earthquake, the largest recorded earthquake in history.









































the first was on may 21 at 06:02 utc-4. its epicenter was near cañete, bío bío region, chile, and its magnitude was 8.1  or 8.3m and 7.3 or 7.5m. this earthquake, which lasted 35 seconds, destroyed a third of the buildings in the city of concepción.
1960 concepción earthquakes
two of the most significant earthquakes in these swarms were the november 5, 2011 prague earthquake east of the oklahoma city area and the september 3, 2016 earthquake near pawnee, north of prague. the 2011 prague earthquake, at reported magnitude 5.6, was at the time the strongest recorded earthquake in the history of oklahoma. the 2016 earthquake was initially reported to be an identical 5.6 magnitude, but this was later upgraded to 5.8, making it the strongest earthquake on record. simultaneously, the usgs upgraded the magnitude of the prague earthquake to 5.7. numerous seismologists had advised local residents of an even greater risk of earthquakes in 2014, by which time the number of earthquakes had increased to a dangerously high level. in response to the major increase in earthquakes in the central united states, the united states geological survey (usgs) began developing a new seismic hazard model to account for risk associated with induced seismicity. by june 26, 2014, no fewer than six individual earthquake sequences in oklahoma had been identified and named by the oklahoma geological survey (ogs). other swarms have been observed in south-central kansas and north texas.
2009–19 oklahoma earthquake swarms