The 1949 Tierra del Fuego earthquake was a seismic movement

Earthquake

An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...

 that took place in the island of Tierra del Fuego

Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego

Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego is an island near the southern tip of South America from which it is separated by the Strait of Magellan...

, on 17 December 1949, at 06:53:30 AM. It recorded magnitude 7.8 in the Richter scale

Richter magnitude scale

The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....

. Its epicenter

Epicenter

The epicenter or epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or underground explosion originates...

 was located in the east of the Chilean Tierra del Fuego Province

Tierra del Fuego Province, Chile

Tierra del Fuego Province is one of four provinces in the southern Chilean region of Magallanes and Antártica Chilena . It includes the Chilean part of the main island of Tierra del Fuego. There is also an Argentine province of the same name, Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina...

 close to the Argentine border at a depth of 30 km.

This was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the south of Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

. It was felt with grade VIII in the Mercalli intensity scale

Mercalli intensity scale

The Mercalli intensity scale is a seismic scale used for measuring the intensity of an earthquake. It measures the effects of an earthquake, and is distinct from the moment magnitude M_w usually reported for an earthquake , which is a measure of the energy released...

, and affected the settlements and some others like Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas, Chile

Punta Arenas is a commune and the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antartica Chilena. The city was officially renamed Magallanes in 1927, but in 1938 it was changed back to Punta Arenas...

 and Río Gallegos.