M5.3 earthquake 64 km NE of Calama, Chile
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 64 km NE of Calama, Chile on Sat, Jan 27, 1979, 12:03 PM GMT-3 (15:03 UTC), 87 km (54 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 19 km NNW 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
- 5.3 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-01-27 15:03:39 UTC
- Depth
- 87.0 km (54.1 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 22.040° S, 68.482° 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
- 50
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.519 km NNW of Calama, Chile · 17375 days ago · 61 km deep · 63 km away
- 4.545 km NE of Calama, Chile · 17361 days ago · 118 km deep · 21 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000ym8. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 11:04 PM UTC.