M5.0 earthquake 8 km NW of Arauco, Chile
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 8 km NW of Arauco, Chile on Thu, Aug 30, 2012, 4:04 AM GMT-4 (08:04 UTC), 23 km (14 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2012-08-30 08:04:39 UTC
- Depth
- 23.0 km (14.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 37.199° S, 73.397° W
- Region
- Chile
- Felt reports
- 4
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | mb, body-wave | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · 98 stations |
| 5.16 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Felt (V) at Chiguayante, Coronel, La Laja, Penco, San Pedro de la Paz, Talcahuano and Tome; (IV) at Arauco, Canete, Cobquecura, Concepcion, Los Alamos, Quirihue and San Rosendo; (III) at Lebu and Los Angeles; (II) at Rancagua. Also felt at Chillan.
From the USGS event page for usp000jr43. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
Did you feel it?
4 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, weak shaking.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Station coverage gap
- 69°
- Stations used
- 195
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.726 km W of Talcahuano, Chile · 5139 days ago · 35 km deep · 53 km away
- 4.646 km WSW of Cañete, Chile · 5135 days ago · 21 km deep · 98 km away
- 4.58 km SW of Lebu, Chile · 5095 days ago · 15 km deep · 59 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000jr43 (also filed as usc000cazd, iscgem601645642). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 3:33 AM UTC.