M4.8 earthquake 154 km W of Valparaíso, Chile
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 154 km W of Valparaíso, Chile on Fri, Oct 16, 1981, 8:24 PM GMT-3 (23:24 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.1 143 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
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-10-16 23:24:07 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 33.169° S, 73.278° 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 1.8 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.5141 km W of Valparaíso, Chile · 16411 days ago · 33 km deep · 18 km away
- 5.1143 km W of Valparaíso, Chile · 16406 days ago · 26 km deep · 16 km away
- 4.5125 km WNW of Cartagena, Chile · 16397 days ago · 33 km deep · 37 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001ggm. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:29 AM UTC.