Chile earthquakes

M5.6 earthquake 58 km WSW of Valparaíso, Chile

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 58 km WSW of Valparaíso, Chile on Sat, Mar 23, 1985, 10:36 AM GMT-4 (14:36 UTC), 53 km (33 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.2 42 km WSW of La Ligua, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.6 (mw), moderate
Local time: Sat, Mar 23, 1985, 10:36 AM GMT-4
UTC: 1985-03-23 14:36:59 UTC
Depth: 52.6 km (32.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 33.249° S, 72.201° 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: 3.2% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 0.3 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: 39 in the 60 days after this one and 151 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 usp0002d53 (also filed as gcmtb032385b, gcmt19850323143657, iscgem530837). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:50 PM UTC.