M4.6 earthquake 125 km WNW of Copiapó, Chile
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 125 km WNW of Copiapó, Chile on Thu, Apr 16, 1981, 3:17 PM GMT-4 (19:17 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 149 km W of Copiapó, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.6 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-04-16 19:17:36 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 26.900° S, 71.484° 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
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 1 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 usp0001d6d. Read Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 11:35 PM UTC.