M7.8 earthquake near Traiguén, Araucania

What happened

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck 38 km WNW of Traiguén, Chile on 22 May 1960, 18:56 UTC at a depth of 25 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Major. Can cause serious damage over large areas. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Traiguén, about 39 km away in Araucania, Chile.