M7.0 earthquake 31 km SSW of Taltal, Chile
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 31 km SSW of Taltal, Chile on Tue, Feb 23, 1965, 6:11 PM GMT-4 (22:11 UTC), 42 km (26 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 7.0 (Mw, moment), major
- Magnitude from
- ISC-GEM global catalog
- Local time
- UTC
- 1965-02-23 22:11:48 UTC
- Depth
- 41.8 km (26.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 25.659° S, 70.632° W
- Region
- Chile
- Strongest shaking
- VII, very strong shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Deaths and damage
From NOAA NCEI’s Significant Earthquake Database (record 6411), matched to this event by time and place.
NOAA’s record of this earthquake gives no deaths, injuries or damage.
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
One person was killed and 5 were injured. Cave-ins occurred in various copper mines in the region and the walls were cracked in numerous buildings. Power, telephone and water lines were broken in Copiapo, where residents fled into the streets in panic.
From the USGS event page for iscgem860516. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
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
- 28.5% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 2.9 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
- ±0.30
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 4.0 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 iscgem860516 (also filed as atlas19650223221148). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 5:55 AM UTC.