Chile earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 38 km ESE of Calama, Chile

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 38 km ESE of Calama, Chile on Tue, Dec 29, 2009, 1:17 PM GMT-3 (16:17 UTC), 102 km (63 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.2 36 km WSW of San Pedro de Atacama, 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
4.5 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2009-12-29 16:17:57 UTC
Depth
101.9 km (63.3 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
22.587° S, 68.577° W
Region
Chile
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

What happened

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

Felt (III) at Antofagasta, Calama, Maria Elena, Sierra Gorda and Tocopilla; (II) at Mejillones.

From the USGS event page for usp000h5fr. 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
49°
Stations used
52

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.845 km ESE of Calama, Chile · 6117 days ago · 102 km deep · 8 km away
  2. 4.067 km SW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile · 6113 days ago · 127 km deep · 92 km away
  3. 4.326 km NE of Calama, Chile · 6100 days ago · 111 km deep · 40 km away
  4. 4.673 km S of Calama, Chile · 6095 days ago · 106 km deep · 73 km away
  5. 4.153 km SW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile · 6085 days ago · 99 km deep · 66 km away
  6. 4.181 km NNE of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile · 6082 days ago · 205 km deep · 89 km away
  7. 4.129 km WNW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile · 6080 days ago · 137 km deep · 25 km away
  8. 5.236 km WSW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile · 6071 days ago · 115 km deep · 54 km away
  9. 4.156 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 6065 days ago · 111 km deep · 73 km away

Before

  1. 4.757 km NE of Calama, Chile · 6122 days ago · 121 km deep · 61 km away
  2. 4.332 km N of Calama, Chile · 6140 days ago · 111 km deep · 58 km away
  3. 4.863 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 6145 days ago · 121 km deep · 72 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000h5fr. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 9:26 AM UTC.