M4.8 earthquake 35 km NW of La Serena, Chile
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 35 km NW of La Serena, Chile on Tue, Mar 31, 1987, 6:15 AM GMT-3 (09:15 UTC), 27 km (17 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.9 48 km WNW of Ovalle, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-03-31 09:15:52 UTC
- Depth
- 27.3 km (17.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 29.662° S, 71.483° W
- Region
- Chile
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
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 1.8 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00033sz. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:47 PM UTC.