121 km SSE of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

A magnitude 8.2 earthquake — a great event — struck near 121 km SSE of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile on December 9, 1950, at a intermediate-depth depth of about 114 km. An earthquake this size would have been felt strongly across the surrounding region; intermediate-depth events inside a subducting slab are often felt over a wide area but do less surface damage than shallow quakes. Casualties, damage and the recovery depend on local building standards, population and distance from the epicentre — the news coverage, references and photos below capture what happened on the ground.