M4.9 earthquake 34 km N of Valparaíso, Chile
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 34 km N of Valparaíso, Chile on Fri, Sep 15, 1978, 4:59 AM GMT-4 (08:59 UTC), 45 km (28 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 42 km NW of Valparaíso, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (ms), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-09-15 08:59:33 UTC
- Depth
- 45.0 km (28.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 32.728° S, 71.657° 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
- 51
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.042 km NW of Valparaíso, Chile · 17536 days ago · 33 km deep · 25 km away
- 4.947 km NW of Valparaíso, Chile · 17489 days ago · 33 km deep · 28 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000wjf. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:28 AM UTC.