M6.3 earthquake 33 km S of Coquimbo, Chile
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 33 km S of Coquimbo, Chile on Sun, May 19, 1985, 2:09 PM GMT-4 (18:09 UTC), 39 km (24 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.3 (Mw, moment), strong
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1985-05-19 18:09:15 UTC
- Depth
- 39.1 km (24.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 30.253° S, 71.329° W
- Region
- Chile
- Strongest shaking
- VI, strong shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.3 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 6.21 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 6.2 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Felt (VI) at Coquimbo, (V) at Paihuana and La Serena and (II) at Santiago. Felt also at Mendoza, Argentina. FAULT PLANE SOLUTION: P-Waves NP1:Strike=173 Dip=72 Slip=82 NP2:Strike=17 Dip=20 Slip=113 Principal Axes: (T) Plg=62 Azm=71 (P) Plg=27 Azm=269 Comment: The focal mechanism is moderately well controlled and corresponds to reverse faulting with a small right-lateral strike-slip component. The preferred fault plane is NP2. MOMENT TENSOR SOLUTION Dep 45 No. of sta: 15 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**25 d-cm Mrr=3.08 Mtt=0.07 Mff=-3.15 Mrt=-0.16 Mrf=-1.80 Mtf=-0.08 Principal axes: (T) Val=3.57 Plg=75 Azm=98 (N) Val=0.06 Plg=2 Azm=2 (P) Val=-3.63 Plg=15 Azm=272 Best Double Couple:Mo=3.6*10**25 NP1:Strike=360 Dip=30 Slip=87 NP2:Strike=183 Dip=60 Slip=92 CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 16S, 39C Centroid Location: Origin Time 18:09:21.8 0.2 Lat 30.38S 0.02 Lon 71.81W 0.02 Dep 46.1 1.2 Half-duration 4.7 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**25 D-CM Mrr=2.34 0.04 Mtt=0.11 0.05 Mff=-2.45 0.06 Mrt=0.22 0.05 Mrf=-0.87 0.06 Mtf=0.22 0.05 Principal Axes: (T) Val=2.50 Plg=79 Azm=66 (N) Val=0.12 Plg=3 Azm=174 (P) Val=-2.62 Plg=10 Azm=265 Best Double Couple:Mo=2.6*10**25 NP1:Strike=359 Dip=35 Slip=96 NP2:Strike=172 Dip=55 Slip=86
From the USGS event page for usp0002ezu. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VI, strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 16.9% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 2.1 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
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 3.3 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 usp0002ezu (also filed as gcmtb051985c, gcmt19850519180915, atlas19850519180916, iscgem525455). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 1:14 PM UTC.