M5.3 earthquake 26 km NNW of La Serena, Chile
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 26 km NNW of La Serena, Chile on Mon, May 15, 1972, 5:12 AM GMT-4 (09:12 UTC), 46 km (29 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.8 43 km WNW of Ovalle, 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), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-05-15 09:12:56 UTC
- Depth
- 46.1 km (28.6 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 29.683° S, 71.357° 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: 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 iscgem773500. Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 12:16 AM UTC.