M5.3 earthquake 118 km NNE of Calama, Chile
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 118 km NNE of Calama, Chile on Mon, Aug 19, 2013, 3:39 PM GMT-4 (19:39 UTC), 116 km (72 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.8 39 km ENE of Calama, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (Mwb, body-wave moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2013-08-19 19:39:45 UTC
- Depth
- 115.8 km (72.0 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 21.451° S, 68.518° W
- Region
- Chile
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light shaking
- PAGER alert
- Green
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | Mwb, body-wave moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.083 |
| 5.38 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.4 | Mwc, centroid moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
| 5.3 | Mwr, regional moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- IV, light shaking
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
Estimated impact
The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.
- Alert level
- Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected
Fault motion and ground failure
How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.
- Faulting
- Normal
- Moment magnitude
- 5.4 Mwc
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 359°, dip 78°, rake -111°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 241°, dip 24°, rake -317°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.08
- Depth from
- FROM_LOCATION
- Station coverage gap
- 43°
- Stations used
- 594
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.839 km ENE of Calama, Chile · 4787 days ago · 111 km deep · 92 km away · felt by 8
- 4.7137 km ESE of Iquique, Chile · 4782 days ago · 111 km deep · 91 km away
- 4.6153 km SE of Iquique, Chile · 4774 days ago · 124 km deep · 66 km away
- 4.2148 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 4759 days ago · 120 km deep · 33 km away
- 4.2131 km N of Calama, Chile · 4754 days ago · 127 km deep · 38 km away
- 3.785 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 4751 days ago · 121 km deep · 34 km away
- 4.4160 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 4733 days ago · 130 km deep · 42 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usb000j6m6 (also filed as iscgem603339691). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 6:12 PM UTC.