M5.3 earthquake 32 km NW of Mejillones, Chile
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 32 km NW of Mejillones, Chile on Fri, Dec 3, 1971, 11:46 AM GMT-3 (14:46 UTC), 29 km (18 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.1 28 km NNW of Mejillones, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- ISC-GEM global catalog
- Local time
- UTC
- 1971-12-03 14:46:01 UTC
- Depth
- 28.8 km (17.9 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 22.869° S, 70.641° 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
- ±0.20
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 2 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 iscgem777441. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 5:06 AM UTC.