Source: Wikipedia

On November 11 at 04:32 UTC, the 8.5-magnitude Vallenar earthquake of 1922 took place in Chile's Atacama Region close to the Argentina border. It created a catastrophic tsunami that was seen as far away as Australia and seriously damaged Chile's coast.

The earthquake occurred in a site where the South American and Nazca tectonic plates are convergent at a pace of 70 millimeters per year.

Since the Paleozoic, Chile has been located at a convergent plate boundary that causes massive earthquakes (500 million years ago). Along this plate boundary, the Chilean coast has seen numerous megathrust earthquakes throughout history, including the largest earthquake ever recorded. The boundary most recently broke in central Chile in 2010.

Between Copiapó and Coquimbo, roughly, was the area that saw significant damage as a result of the earthquake. At least 500 of the projected 1,000 fatalities from the earthquake were in Vallenar, according to newspapers. Several hundred individuals died in coastal cities by the tsunami, particularly in Coquimbo.

The range for the total damage was $5 to $25 million US (1922 dollars).

On November 3 and 7, there were two powerful foreshocks that preceded the earthquake. According to numerous sources, the primary shock lasted for somewhere between thirty seconds to eight minutes.

390 km (242 mi) is the estimated length of the plate boundary that ruptured during the earthquake.

The earthquake's epicenter was well inland, and the tsunami may have been brought on by an undersea slip that was set off by the shaking.

The tsunami hit Caldera approximately 15 minutes after the earthquake, reaching a maximum run-up height of 7 meters (23 feet). The tsunami in Chaaral featured three surges, the first of which occurred about an hour after the earthquake and had a maximum run-up height of 30 feet (9 meters). Additionally, Coquimbo witnessed three surges, the last of which had a maximum run-up of 7 meters (23 feet) and was the most damaging.

Samoa (0.9 m, 3 foot 14.1 hours), Callao, Peru (2.4 m, 7.9 feet), Hawaii (2.1 m, 6.9 ft 14.5 hours), New Zealand (0.1 m, 3.9 hours), Australia (0.2 m, 7.9 hours), California (0.2 m, 8 in 13.0 hours delay), Japan (0.3 m, 1 ft), Taiwan (0.03 m, 1 in), New Zealand. (0.1 m, 3.9 hours)

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