M5.2 earthquake 8 km NW of San Javier, Chile
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 8 km NW of San Javier, Chile on Mon, Mar 16, 1981, 9:40 AM GMT-4 (13:40 UTC), 55 km (34 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 35 km SE of Molina, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.2 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-03-16 13:40:46 UTC
- Depth
- 55.0 km (34.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 35.534° S, 71.786° 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 2.2 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 usp0001cr4 (also filed as gcmtb031681a, gcmt19810316134046, iscgem629971). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:34 AM UTC.