M5.1 earthquake 14 km NE of Calama, Chile
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 14 km NE of Calama, Chile on Tue, Dec 8, 1981, 7:05 PM GMT-3 (22:05 UTC), 119 km (74 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-12-08 22:05:44 UTC
- Depth
- 119.0 km (73.9 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 22.357° S, 68.828° 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.
- Depth from
- CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001hb1. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:38 AM UTC.