Due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire, Chile is considered the most seismically active country in the world[1]​ and the fourth most exposed to suffering major damage from natural catastrophes.[2]​[n 1]​ Much of the continental territory lies next to the subduction zone of the Nazca plate under the South American plate - south of the Ofqui isthmus (Aysén Region), however, the subduction is produced by the Antarctic plate, which is It moves at a lower speed than Nazca and, therefore, is less seismically active.[5]​.

On Easter Island or Rapa Nui, seismicity is also important due to the formation of smaller plates called the Easter plate and the Juan Fernández plate—the latter is located at the triple junction between the Pacific and Nazca plates; The Juan Fernández archipelago is not on the Juan Fernández plaque. Other tectonic plates in Chilean territory are the Altiplano, Chiloé and Scotia plates.

Throughout its history, various earthquakes have affected Chile,[6]​ reconfiguring both its physical and human geography, being probably the most damaging type of natural catastrophe that occurs in said country. To the telluric movement itself and the destruction produced, various accompanying events are added, among which avalanches and tidal waves stand out.

The Chillán earthquake of 1939 was the deadliest in the history of Chile,[7]​ with an official figure of 5,648 deaths.[8]​[n 2]​ The Valdivia earthquake of 1960 was the most powerful recorded in Chile and in the history of humanity, with a magnitude of 9.6 M.[9]​[n 3]​.

In general, in Chile the word "earthquake" is reserved for seismic events of greater intensity or that have caused damage, while the terms "seism" and "tremor" are used for events of lower magnitude [10]​[11]​ —the previous terms ("seismic", "temblor" and "terremoto") are used as synonyms in the rest of the Spanish-speaking world. According to Chilean insurance companies, an earthquake corresponds to a seismic movement greater than VII degrees of the Mercalli intensity scale (developed to evaluate the intensity of earthquakes through the damage and effects caused to different structures).[10] Meanwhile, the National Emergency Office of the Ministry of the Interior officially uses the terms "minor earthquake" (intensity from I to IV), "medium earthquake" (intensity from V to VI) and "major earthquake" (intensity higher than VII).[10]​.