M4.5 earthquake 60 km WSW of Vallenar, Chile
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 60 km WSW of Vallenar, Chile on Mon, Apr 20, 1981, 8:38 AM GMT-4 (12:38 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.6 63 km W of Vallenar, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-04-20 12:38:59 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 28.711° S, 71.355° 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 1.5 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 usp0001d8r. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:35 PM UTC.