M6.1 earthquake 64 km SW of Cañete, Chile
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 64 km SW of Cañete, Chile on Sun, Dec 24, 1961, 7:43 PM GMT-4 (23:43 UTC), 25 km (16 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M7.1 15 km WSW of Angol, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.1 (mw), strong
- Local time
- UTC
- 1961-12-24 23:43:20 UTC
- Depth
- 25.0 km (15.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 38.240° S, 73.880° W
- Region
- Chile
- Strongest shaking
- VI, 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
- VI, strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 18.4% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 2.1 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
- ±0.96
- 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: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgemsup877862. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:58 AM UTC.