Chile earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 139 km NE of Calama, Chile

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 139 km NE of Calama, Chile on Wed, Dec 16, 2009, 12:46 PM GMT-3 (15:46 UTC), 103 km (64 mi) below the surface.

Calama forecastMore in Chile

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
4.9 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2009-12-16 15:46:03 UTC
Depth
103.2 km (64.1 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
21.438° S, 68.132° 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 usp000h53m. 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
41°
Stations used
146

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 3 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 usp000h53m. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 5:40 AM UTC.