Historical records place 1960-scale earthquakes several times within a Nothofagus life span

Evidence

While the 1975-1976 observations established that the tree species that occur mainly as large, emergent trees in the surrounding old-growth forests are capable of establishing and growing on bare surfaces, it was not immediately clear whether the events of 1960 represented a frequent disturbance or not. Inspection of soil profiles indicated that many old-growth stands had developed on old landslide scars or debris deposits (Veblen and Ashton, 1978). Historical sources showed that 47 notable earthquakes occurred between Santiago (33°30’S) and Chiloé Island (c. 42°S) between 1520 and 1946; 7 of these were roughly comparable in magnitude to the main shock of May 22, 1960 (Saint-Amand, 1962; Guarda, 1953; Weischet, 1960). — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 302