M5.4 earthquake 149 km W of Copiapó, Chile
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 149 km W of Copiapó, Chile on Sun, May 17, 1981, 1:04 PM GMT-4 (17:04 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.4 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-05-17 17:04:58 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 27.223° S, 71.831° 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 2.4 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001dqq (also filed as gcmtb051781c, gcmt19810517170458, iscgem626780). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 2:08 PM UTC.