M3.9 earthquake 131 km N of Calama, Chile
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 131 km N of Calama, Chile on Fri, May 19, 1978, 4:41 AM GMT-4 (08:41 UTC), 131 km (81 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.7 152 km NNE of Calama, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.9 (mb), minor
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-05-19 08:41:15 UTC
- Depth
- 131.0 km (81.4 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 21.276° S, 68.751° 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
- 6
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.7152 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 17652 days ago · 133 km deep · 30 km away
- 4.2156 km N of Calama, Chile · 17644 days ago · 88 km deep · 25 km away
- 5.0103 km NNW of Calama, Chile · 17644 days ago · 102 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.9149 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 17618 days ago · 127 km deep · 27 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000uma. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 9:46 PM UTC.