Chile earthquakes

M6.4 earthquake 79 km WNW of Iquique, Chile

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 79 km WNW of Iquique, Chile on Mon, Mar 17, 2014, 2:11 AM GMT-3 (05:11 UTC), 21 km (13 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M8.2 93 km NW of Iquique, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Iquique forecast More in Chile

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 6.4 (Mww, W-phase moment), strong
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Mon, Mar 17, 2014, 2:11 AM GMT-3
UTC: 2014-03-17 05:11:34 UTC
Depth: 21.0 km (13.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 20.017° S, 70.884° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 19
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
6.4	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
6.38	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
6.5	Mwc, centroid moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Moment tensor · Reviewed
6.2	Mwb, body-wave 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
Peak ground acceleration: 4.6% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 1.4 cm/s
Map: Automatic

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

Did you feel it?

19 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was VI, strong shaking.

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: Reverse (thrust)
Moment magnitude: 6.4 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 152°, dip 72°, rake 81°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 358°, dip 19°, rake 115°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: FROM_MODELING_OF_BROAD_BAND_P_WAVEFORMS
Station coverage gap: 24°
Stations used: 513

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 3.4 and up: at least 200 in the 60 days after this one and 36 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 200.

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usc000ndw9 (also filed as iscgem604162382). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 11:13 PM UTC.