M4.9 earthquake 18 km NNW of Ovalle, Chile
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 18 km NNW of Ovalle, Chile on Tue, Dec 16, 1986, 10:28 PM GMT-3 (01:28 UTC), 71 km (44 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.4 15 km NNE of La Serena, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.9 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1986-12-17 01:28:58 UTC
- Depth
- 71.1 km (44.2 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 30.440° S, 71.259° W
- Region
- Chile
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Felt (V) at Ovalle, Andacollo, Punitaqui, Los Vilos, La Serena and Illapel.
From the USGS event page for usp00030xp. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.415 km NNE of La Serena, Chile · 14493 days ago · 65 km deep · 75 km away
- 4.713 km NNW of Coquimbo, Chile · 14484 days ago · 74 km deep · 67 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00030xp. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 5:10 PM UTC.