M4.6 earthquake 143 km SE of Iquique, Chile
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 143 km SE of Iquique, Chile on Mon, Mar 30, 1981, 4:38 AM GMT-4 (08:38 UTC), 132 km (82 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 91 km SE of Iquique, 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
- 1981-03-30 08:38:36 UTC
- Depth
- 132.3 km (82.2 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 21.124° S, 69.169° 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
- FROM_LOCATION
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 3 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 usp0001cy5. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 2:07 PM UTC.