1960 Chile Tsunami from the Largest Earthquake ever Recorded

On this day in 1960, the largest earthquake ever recorded by instruments struck southern Chile with a magnitude we now know to be at least 9.5.

This earthquake generated a tsunami that traveled through every ocean on earth, though large, dangerous waves only impacted the coastlines around the Pacific Ocean. This visualization from the US NWS Pacific Tsunami Warning Center shows the tsunami wave propagating across the Pacific Ocean.