1960 Valdivia earthquake

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/1960-valdivia-earthquake

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the epicenter?Near Lumaco, Chile, approximately 570 kilometers (350 mi) south of Santiago
2. What is the estimated fatalities?1,000 to 6,000 people
3. What was the 1960 Valdivia earthquake also called?The 1960 Valdivia earthquake is also known as the Great Chilean earthquake.
4. How strong was the earthquake on the magnitude scale?It measured between 9.4 and 9.6 on the moment magnitude scale, the most powerful ever recorded.

Subduction Zone: An area where one tectonic plate is forced underneath another, often leading to earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Moment Magnitude Scale: A logarithmic scale used to measure the energy released by an earthquake, considered more accurate for large earthquakes than the Richter scale.
Tsunami Propagation: The process by which tsunami waves travel across oceans, maintaining their energy over vast distances.