The 1943 Ovalle Earthquake

Posted by Karl Lundgren on Apr 06, 2025

It was just past 7:30 PM on a quiet April evening in 1943. Families in the small Chilean town of Ovalle were winding down for the night. Some gathered around radios for the evening news, others finished dinner or stepped outside to enjoy the cool autumn air. Life moved slowly in this rural corner of the Coquimbo Region—until the ground began to roar.

At first, it was a low rumble. Glasses rattled. Dogs barked. Then, in a matter of seconds, the earth heaved violently, and buildings began to sway and crack. People ran into the streets as adobe walls crumbled behind them. In less than a minute, the peaceful night had turned into chaos.

This was the 1943 Ovalle Earthquake—a powerful and jarring reminder of Chile’s ever-present seismic risk. Though it didn’t make global headlines or leave behind the scale of devastation seen in later quakes, it shook thousands of lives and marked a pivotal moment in the region’s history.

Let’s dive into what happened, how people responded, and why this quake still matters more than 80 years later.

On the evening of April 6, 1943, as the sun dipped behind the Andes mountains, a powerful tremor shook the earth beneath central Chile. The epicenter was near the town of Ovalle in the Coquimbo Region—a relatively quiet, agricultural area known for its vineyards, copper mines, and peaceful valleys. But on that night, nature reminded everyone that Chile sits on one of the most seismically active zones in the world.

The 1943 Ovalle Earthquake wasn’t the deadliest quake in Chile’s history, but it was a serious wake-up call. It disrupted lives, flattened homes, and brought renewed attention to the country’s ongoing battle with seismic activity. This blog post takes you through the facts, the aftermath, and the historical importance of the quake that struck Ovalle in 1943.

The Basics: What Happened?

The Ovalle Earthquake occurred on April 6, 1943, at approximately 7:30 PM local time. According to historical records, the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.9 on the moment magnitude scale (although earlier measurements classified it around 8.2 on the surface wave magnitude scale). The shaking lasted for over a minute, which is more than enough time to cause serious structural damage and widespread panic.

The epicenter was located just inland from the coast of Coquimbo, roughly near the small city of Ovalle, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Santiago. The quake was felt over a wide area, reaching as far north as Antofagasta and as far south as the capital. In Santiago, chandeliers swayed and people fled their homes, but the strongest devastation occurred much closer to the epicenter.

Damage and Impact

Despite the strength of the quake, the damage was concentrated mostly in the Coquimbo Region. Ovalle and nearby towns like Monte Patria and Combarbalá were hit hard. Homes made from adobe and other less earthquake-resistant materials collapsed, leaving thousands without shelter.

Infrastructure was also heavily affected. Roads cracked or became impassable, and communication lines were cut off, which slowed the response from national authorities. Water systems and electricity grids failed in some areas, adding further stress in the immediate aftermath. In the countryside, landslides disrupted farming and mining operations, both crucial to the local economy.

Unfortunately, a number of casualties were reported, although the official death toll varies between sources. Most reports estimate that at least 11 people were killed, with dozens more injured. Given the magnitude of the quake, the relatively low number of deaths can be attributed to the rural nature of the epicentral zone and the time of day—it struck before many people had gone to bed, giving them a chance to escape collapsing buildings.

A Country Used to Quakes

Chile is no stranger to earthquakes. Sitting along the Ring of Fire, where the Nazca Plate subducts beneath the South American Plate, the country experiences hundreds of seismic events each year. Some are minor and barely noticed, while others—like the 1960 Valdivia Earthquake (the strongest ever recorded globally at magnitude 9.5)—leave deep scars.

The 1943 Ovalle Earthquake sits somewhere in the middle: strong enough to cause major concern, but not destructive enough to dominate national memory. Yet it was a key event in the 20th-century history of Chilean seismology and disaster response.

Response and Recovery

In the days following the quake, Chilean government agencies and military personnel were deployed to assess the damage and assist survivors. Relief efforts focused on providing shelter, food, and medical assistance. Temporary camps were set up for those whose homes had been destroyed, and engineers were brought in to evaluate which buildings could be saved.

One important aspect of the response was the community-driven recovery. Rural Chilean communities have long traditions of resilience, and many people helped rebuild homes and restore farmlands using local materials and labor.

The disaster also prompted a renewed interest in earthquake preparedness. Though the scientific understanding of plate tectonics was still developing in the 1940s, the event added to the growing body of evidence that Chile needed to prioritize seismic-resistant construction and better emergency response protocols.

Scientific Significance

Seismologists have since studied the 1943 Ovalle Earthquake as part of the long-term pattern of seismic activity along the Chilean coast. It was caused by the same subduction process responsible for many of the region’s major quakes, including those in 1906, 1922, 1965, and more recently in 2010 and 2015.

The quake also served as a case study in how mid-20th-century infrastructure responded to high-magnitude shaking. Researchers noted that structures made from reinforced concrete fared better than traditional adobe buildings, leading to stronger building codes in the years that followed.

Additionally, the Ovalle quake highlighted the potential for significant inland quakes in Chile—not just those along the coast. While tsunami threats often dominate discussions about Chilean quakes, this event showed that inland tremors could be just as disruptive, especially in rural communities with limited access to emergency services.

A Reminder from the Earth

Today, if you visit Ovalle, you’ll find a city that has grown and modernized over the decades. It's known for its natural beauty, agriculture, and proximity to tourist-friendly spots like the Elqui Valley. But beneath the surface, the earth still shifts. And in the minds of those who study Chile’s seismic past, the 1943 earthquake remains a reminder of the country’s vulnerability—and its resilience.

The Ovalle Earthquake wasn’t the deadliest or most famous earthquake in Chile’s history, but it was a powerful jolt that affected thousands and reinforced an important truth: in a country like Chile, being ready for the next big one is never optional.

Final Thoughts

Though often overshadowed by more catastrophic quakes in Chile’s history, the 1943 Ovalle Earthquake deserves recognition. It was a pivotal moment for the communities it affected and a turning point in how Chile approached earthquake preparedness in rural regions.

Natural disasters often expose weaknesses—in buildings, in systems, and in planning. But they also show strength. The people of Ovalle and surrounding areas rebuilt, adapted, and learned. And in doing so, they contributed to the long story of how Chile continues to face its geological reality—with courage, grit, and hope.

So what can we do to get better prepared?

HAVE AN EARTHQUAKE KIT

A kit is not a safety blanket you just purchase to make yourself feel better, it is an important investment in your household’s safety and preparedness. Not all emergency kits are created equal, and we highly recommend using the Province of BC and Government of Canada resources when building or buying a kit. We are also pleased to offer Earthquake Kits that developed to meet the government requirements for emergency preparedness. Visit our Gov BC Earthquake Kit product page to view the contents of our kits and feel free to use this as a guideline for assembling your own. What’s important to us is not that you buy a kit from us, but that every household have a kit at the ready in case something unexpected should occur.

EXPAND THE EARLY DETECTION & WARNING SYSTEM IN BC

The Province of BC and the Federal Government have made huge strides in this area in recent years implementing an Emergency Notifications network through mobile carriers and testing it to great success levels. This can provide seconds to even minutes of advanced notice prior to an earthquake being felt in any given location. However, a network of this complexity relies on strategically positioned censors along the coastline. We need to continue expanding this network of sensors and make sure that existing censors are being properly monitored and maintained.

We also need to expand from mobile phone notifications to physical alarms in homes, buildings, and especially schools/daycares.

For more details on how this Early Detection Grid works, please check out the following video by the CBC several years ago.