Chile earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 63 km NNE of Calama, Chile

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 63 km NNE of Calama, Chile on Sat, Dec 5, 2009, 11:16 PM GMT-3 (02:16 UTC), 121 km (75 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.9 139 km NE of Calama, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Calama forecastMore in Chile

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.8 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2009-12-06 02:16:18 UTC
Depth
120.8 km (75.1 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
21.946° S, 68.650° W
Region
Chile
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

no people dead or missing; no people injured; no buildings damaged or destroyed

From the USGS event page for usp000h4sk. 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.

Station coverage gap
36°
Stations used
167

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.332 km N of Calama, Chile · 6140 days ago · 111 km deep · 36 km away
  2. 4.284 km N of Calama, Chile · 6140 days ago · 109 km deep · 31 km away
  3. 4.595 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 6137 days ago · 136 km deep · 35 km away
  4. 4.9139 km NE of Calama, Chile · 6135 days ago · 103 km deep · 78 km away
  5. 4.757 km NE of Calama, Chile · 6122 days ago · 121 km deep · 11 km away
  6. 4.538 km ESE of Calama, Chile · 6122 days ago · 102 km deep · 72 km away
  7. 4.845 km ESE of Calama, Chile · 6117 days ago · 102 km deep · 71 km away
  8. 4.326 km NE of Calama, Chile · 6100 days ago · 111 km deep · 38 km away
  9. 4.1147 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 6087 days ago · 203 km deep · 85 km away
  10. 4.3101 km NE of Tocopilla, Chile · 6086 days ago · 23 km deep · 91 km away

Before

  1. 4.6Chile-Bolivia border region · 6166 days ago · 149 km deep · 17 km away
  2. 4.4139 km N of Calama, Chile · 6166 days ago · 92 km deep · 81 km away
  3. 4.522 km ENE of Calama, Chile · 6171 days ago · 123 km deep · 50 km away
  4. 4.529 km ESE of Calama, Chile · 6172 days ago · 125 km deep · 69 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000h4sk. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 12:17 PM UTC.