M4.3 earthquake 137 km NNE of Calama, Chile
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 137 km NNE of Calama, Chile on Wed, Jul 8, 1981, 5:43 AM GMT-4 (09:43 UTC), 129 km (80 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.8 123 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
- 4.3 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-07-08 09:43:20 UTC
- Depth
- 129.1 km (80.2 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 21.260° S, 68.553° 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.
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
- 4.8123 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 16485 days ago · 102 km deep · 35 km away
- 5.0115 km ESE of Iquique, Chile · 16480 days ago · 111 km deep · 92 km away
- 4.769 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 16478 days ago · 108 km deep · 68 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001ek6. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 7:53 AM UTC.