File:Great Chilean Earthquake (14184006691).jpg

On May 22 1960, the Great Chilean Earthquake struck at 15.11 local time. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded, measuring 9.5 on the Moment Magnitude Scale. The resulting tsunami affected southern Chile, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, eastern New Zealand, southeast Australia, and the Aleutian Islands. The epicentre was near Lumaco, approximately 570 kilometres (350 mi) south of Santiago, with Valdivia being the most affected city. The tremor caused localised tsunamis that severely battered the Chilean coast, with waves up to 25 metres (82 ft). The main tsunami raced across the Pacific Ocean and devastated Hilo, Hawaii. Waves as high as 10.7 metres (35 ft) were recorded 10,000 kilometres (6,200 mi) from the epicentre, and as far away as Japan and the Philippines. Between 3 and 6 thousand people were killed in the disaster. After the earthquake New Zealand set up a Red Cross fund to support victims in Chile. The New Zealand Government offered £10,000 for the fund. The letters shown here are a statement from the New Zealand Government offering support for Chile via the Red Cross Appeal, and a response from the Chilean Foreign Minister thanking New Zealand for its support. These pieces of correspondence are found in the Walter Nash Papers. Other images from the Nash papers have been digitised and are available to view in an online exhibition archives.govt.nz/events/walters-world-nash-collection Notable items in the collection include images of Nash and Indian Prime Minister Nehru and Nash meeting Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies. These items can be seen in person in the Wellington Reading Room of Archives New Zealand. Reference: AEFZ 22620 W5727 183 212/0153-0155 archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=22938379 For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/ArchivesNZ