M5.4 earthquake 131 km ENE of Iquique, Chile
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 131 km ENE of Iquique, Chile on Wed, Mar 4, 1987, 7:04 AM GMT-3 (10:04 UTC), 113 km (70 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.4 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-03-04 10:04:58 UTC
- Depth
- 112.5 km (69.9 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 19.962° S, 68.926° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.4 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.34 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.3 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Felt (III) in the Iquique area, Chile. CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 11S, 27C Centroid Location: Origin Time 10:05: 6.0 0.5 Lat 19.83S 0.07 Lon 69.13W 0.06 Dep 133.2 2.3 Half-duration 1.9 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**17 Nm Mrr=-1.11 0.07 Mtt=0.26 0.11 Mff=0.85 0.10 Mrt=0.52 0.07 Mrf=-0.05 0.06 Mtf=-0.62 0.10 Principal Axes: (T) Val=1.29 Plg=8 Azm=55 (N) Val=0.00 Plg=19 Azm=323 (P) Val=-1.30 Plg=69 Azm=168 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.3*10**17 NP1:Strike=166 Dip=40 Slip=-60 NP2:Strike=309 Dip=56 Slip=-113
From the USGS event page for usp00032zf. 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.
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 2.4 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00032zf (also filed as gcmtb030487b, gcmt19870304100457, iscgem471164). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 3:28 PM UTC.