Chile earthquakes

M5.8 earthquake 52 km W of Valparaíso, Chile

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 52 km W of Valparaíso, Chile on Tue, Mar 12, 1985, 4:23 AM GMT-4 (08:23 UTC), 47 km (29 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.7 35 km WNW of Hacienda La Calera, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Valparaíso forecast More in Chile

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.8 (mw), moderate
Local time: Tue, Mar 12, 1985, 4:23 AM GMT-4
UTC: 1985-03-12 08:23:17 UTC
Depth: 46.7 km (29.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 33.072° S, 72.187° W
Region: Chile
Strongest shaking: IV, light shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: IV, light shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 4.9% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 0.8 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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: FROM_LOCATION

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 55 in the 60 days after this one and 112 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0002cs5 (also filed as gcmtb031285a, gcmt19850312082315, iscgem529896). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:37 AM UTC.