M4.5 earthquake 48 km WSW of Montecristi, Ecuador
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 48 km WSW of Montecristi, Ecuador on Fri, Dec 18, 1987, 2:45 AM GMT-5 (07:45 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.9 19 km SW of Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1987-12-18 07:45:31 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 1.283° S, 81.028° W
- Region
- Ecuador
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
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
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayEcuador earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003bct. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:21 PM UTC.