M4.5 earthquake 45 km NE of Calama, Chile
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 45 km NE of Calama, Chile on Sat, Mar 24, 1979, 1:01 PM GMT-4 (17:01 UTC), 118 km (73 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.9 44 km SSW 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
- 4.5 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-03-24 17:01:13 UTC
- Depth
- 118.0 km (73.3 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 22.133° S, 68.659° 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 1.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.6119 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 17321 days ago · 81 km deep · 75 km away
- 5.944 km SSW of Calama, Chile · 17310 days ago · 85 km deep · 89 km away
- 5.545 km SSW of Calama, Chile · 17303 days ago · 58 km deep · 90 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000zn8. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 6:55 AM UTC.