Chilean Earthquake of 2010

In 2010, Chile was shaken by the second largest quake in its history, after the Great Chilean Earthquake of 1960. The epicenter was situated 6.4 kilometers from the coastline, around the city of Concepción. The earthquake stands out for its high magnitude of 8.8 but relatively low number of resulting deaths; estimates are between 452 and 700 people. About 70,000-120,000 people needed shelter, and forty-five tent camps were set up with help of the international community. The low number of casualties can be attributed to both the humanitarian response by the national rescue team and preventative measures. Chile, and the city of Concepción in particular, had learned from past earthquakes, such as the most destructive one, which took place in 1939 in Concepción and, with a magnitude of 8.3, killed 30,000 people. As a result, the country had developed a new building code requiring “strong columns, weak beams.” Chilean authorities also developed seismic mitigation technology and promoted disaster awareness among the population.