M5.6 earthquake 57 km ENE of Calama, Chile
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 57 km ENE of Calama, Chile on Thu, Sep 10, 1987, 8:34 PM GMT-4 (00:34 UTC), 130 km (81 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-09-11 00:34:52 UTC
- Depth
- 129.9 km (80.7 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 22.329° S, 68.384° W
- Region
- Chile
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.6 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.52 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.5 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Felt (V) at Calama and (III) at Antofagasta. CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 16S, 37C Centroid Location: Origin Time 00:34:58.9 0.4 Lat 22.11S 0.06 Lon 68.85W 0.05 Dep 132.9 2.2 Half-duration 2.2 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=-1.53 0.11 Mtt=-1.13 0.18 Mff=2.66 0.15 Mrt=0.20 0.10 Mrf=-1.00 0.10 Mtf=-0.49 0.15 Principal Axes: (T) Val=2.95 Plg=13 Azm=83 (N) Val=-1.18 Plg=7 Azm=351 (P) Val=-1.77 Plg=75 Azm=233 Best Double Couple:Mo=2.4*10**17 NP1:Strike=182 Dip=33 Slip=-77 NP2:Strike=347 Dip=58 Slip=-98
From the USGS event page for usp00038a6. 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 2.6 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.619 km ENE of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile · 14239 days ago · 106 km deep · 68 km away
- 5.022 km SSE of Calama, Chile · 14212 days ago · 112 km deep · 57 km away
Before
- 4.886 km NE of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile · 14265 days ago · 192 km deep · 77 km away
- 4.493 km NE of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile · 14283 days ago · 152 km deep · 81 km away
- 4.739 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 14286 days ago · 121 km deep · 53 km away
- 5.145 km WSW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile · 14292 days ago · 101 km deep · 92 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00038a6 (also filed as gcmtb091187a, gcmt19870911003451, iscgem457370). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 6:36 AM UTC.