M4.8 earthquake 143 km N of Calama, Chile
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 143 km N of Calama, Chile on Wed, Jan 17, 1979, 7:55 AM GMT-3 (10:55 UTC), 135 km (84 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 173 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
- 4.8 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-01-17 10:55:51 UTC
- Depth
- 135.0 km (83.9 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 21.177° S, 68.676° 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 1.8 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.7117 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 17420 days ago · 121 km deep · 28 km away
- 5.364 km NE of Calama, Chile · 17416 days ago · 87 km deep · 98 km away
- 4.8110 km ESE of Iquique, Chile · 17402 days ago · 119 km deep · 79 km away
- 5.5173 km ESE of Iquique, Chile · 17401 days ago · 77 km deep · 36 km away
- 4.8132 km N of Calama, Chile · 17389 days ago · 121 km deep · 33 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000yff. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 1:11 AM UTC.