Chile earthquakes

M5.9 earthquake 45 km SSW of San Antonio, Chile

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 45 km SSW of San Antonio, Chile on Wed, Nov 21, 2012, 6:36 PM GMT-3 (21:36 UTC), 18 km (11 mi) below the surface.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.9 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Wed, Nov 21, 2012, 6:36 PM GMT-3
UTC: 2012-11-21 21:36:22 UTC
Depth: 18.0 km (11.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 33.939° S, 71.868° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 73
Strongest shaking: VI, strong shaking
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
5.9	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.88	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
5.66	Me, energy	Choy, USGS energy magnitude	Reviewed

What happened

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

Felt (VI) at Litueche, Navidad and Pichilemu; (V) in much of Maule and Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins. Felt as far as Chillan, Concepcion, Los Andes and Zapallar.

From the USGS event page for usp000jvxm. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VI, strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 24.5% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 2.4 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

73 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light shaking.

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting: Reverse (thrust)
Nodal plane 1: Strike 360°, dip 17°, rake 99°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 170°, dip 73°, rake 87°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Station coverage gap: 30°
Stations used: 483

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.9 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000jvxm (also filed as usc000dwip, choy20121121213622, iscgem601993538, atlas20121121213622). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 2:34 AM UTC.