M5.1 earthquake 19 km N of Antofagasta, Chile
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 19 km N of Antofagasta, Chile on Thu, Feb 29, 1996, 11:27 PM GMT-3 (02:27 UTC), 27 km (17 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.6 44 km SE of Antofagasta, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1996-03-01 02:27:24 UTC
- Depth
- 26.9 km (16.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 23.479° S, 70.358° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | mb, body-wave | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · 30 stations |
| 5.29 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.22 |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Felt (IV) at Antofagasta and (II-IV) at Mejillones and Tocopilla. Also felt at Chuquicamata and Maria Elena.
From the USGS event page for usp0007e6p. 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 2.1 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.544 km NNE of Antofagasta, Chile · 11167 days ago · 31 km deep · 25 km away
- 3.6Near the coast of Antofagasta, Chile · 11127 days ago · 33 km deep · 61 km away
- 6.644 km SE of Antofagasta, Chile · 11125 days ago · 50 km deep · 58 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0007e6p (also filed as iscgem950925). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 5:26 PM UTC.