M7.4 earthquake Atacama, Chile
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck in Atacama, Chile on Tue, Apr 18, 1939, 2:22 AM GMT-4 (06:22 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 7.4 (mw), major
- Local time
- UTC
- 1939-04-18 06:22:44 UTC
- Depth
- 35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 27.218° S, 70.875° W
- Region
- Chile
- Strongest shaking
- VII, very strong shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VII, very strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 33.2% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 3.3 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.26
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem901902. Read Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 10:10 AM UTC.