M5.1 earthquake 79 km NNW of Vallenar, Chile
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 79 km NNW of Vallenar, Chile on Sat, Jan 6, 1968, 8:23 PM GMT-4 (00:23 UTC), 28 km (17 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 65 km SW of Copiapó, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1968-01-07 00:23:17 UTC
- Depth
- 27.9 km (17.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 27.892° S, 71.019° W
- Region
- Chile
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
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
- ±0.28
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.165 km SW of Copiapó, Chile · 21441 days ago · 29 km deep · 25 km away
- 5.623 km W of Vallenar, Chile · 21413 days ago · 45 km deep · 78 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem827037. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:47 PM UTC.