Chile earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 73 km WNW of Arauco, Chile

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 73 km WNW of Arauco, Chile on Tue, Jan 3, 2012, 6:50 PM GMT-3 (21:50 UTC), 25 km (16 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.6 26 km NW of Lebu, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Arauco 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
4.6 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2012-01-03 21:50:22 UTC
Depth
25.1 km (15.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.994° S, 74.084° 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 Coronel, Lebu, Lota and Talcahuano; (II) at Chiguayante, Concepcion, Penco, San Pedro de la Paz and Tome.

From the USGS event page for usp000jd06. 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
152°
Stations used
38

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.332 km SW of Lebu, Chile · 5367 days ago · 42 km deep · 88 km away
  2. 5.046 km NW of Talcahuano, Chile · 5366 days ago · 7 km deep · 83 km away
  3. 4.423 km NW of Talcahuano, Chile · 5366 days ago · 15 km deep · 86 km away
  4. 4.711 km WNW of Talcahuano, Chile · 5354 days ago · 38 km deep · 82 km away · felt by 26
  5. 5.626 km NW of Lebu, Chile · 5348 days ago · 20 km deep · 54 km away · felt by 53
  6. 4.325 km NW of Lebu, Chile · 5347 days ago · 21 km deep · 54 km away
  7. 4.265 km NW of Lebu, Chile · 5342 days ago · 5 km deep · 32 km away
  8. 4.830 km WNW of Arauco, Chile · 5341 days ago · 14 km deep · 44 km away
  9. 4.341 km W of Arauco, Chile · 5341 days ago · 35 km deep · 38 km away

Before

  1. 4.450 km NNW of Lebu, Chile · 5405 days ago · 32 km deep · 28 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000jd06. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 6:27 PM UTC.