M4.5 earthquake 160 km W of Valparaíso, Chile
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 160 km W of Valparaíso, Chile on Fri, Oct 16, 1981, 1:21 PM GMT-3 (16:21 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.8 154 km W of Valparaíso, 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
- 1981-10-16 16:21:16 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 33.251° S, 73.328° 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: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.8154 km W of Valparaíso, Chile · 16411 days ago · 33 km deep · 10 km away
- 4.5141 km W of Valparaíso, Chile · 16411 days ago · 33 km deep · 28 km away
- 5.1143 km W of Valparaíso, Chile · 16406 days ago · 26 km deep · 17 km away
- 4.5125 km WNW of Cartagena, Chile · 16397 days ago · 33 km deep · 38 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001gge. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:46 AM UTC.