Chile earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 85 km WNW of Iquique, Chile

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 85 km WNW of Iquique, Chile on Mon, Mar 17, 2014, 8:12 AM GMT-3 (11:12 UTC), 13 km (8 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: 4.9 (Mwr, regional moment), light
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Mon, Mar 17, 2014, 8:12 AM GMT-3
UTC: 2014-03-17 11:12:14 UTC
Depth: 12.6 km (7.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 19.937° S, 70.914° W
Region: Chile
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
4.9	Mwr, regional moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.068 · 21 stations
5.04	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

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: 4.9 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 342°, dip 30°, rake 97°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 155°, dip 60°, rake 86°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.07
Depth from: FROM_LOCATION
Station coverage gap: 96°
Stations used: 118

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: at least 200 in the 60 days after this one and 53 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 usc000ne11 (also filed as iscgem604163364). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 4:20 PM UTC.