M5.0 earthquake 160 km N of Calama, Chile
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 160 km N of Calama, Chile on Sun, Mar 20, 1977, 1:43 AM GMT-4 (05:43 UTC), 140 km (87 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.2 141 km ESE of Iquique, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1977-03-20 05:43:07 UTC
- Depth
- 140.0 km (87.0 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 21.027° S, 68.679° 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.
- Stations used
- 10
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.3144 km SW of Uyuni, Bolivia · 18060 days ago · 181 km deep · 85 km away
- 5.2141 km ESE of Iquique, Chile · 18038 days ago · 82 km deep · 63 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000n0a. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:42 AM UTC.