Chile earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 34 km WSW of Iquique, Chile

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 34 km WSW of Iquique, Chile on Wed, Apr 2, 2014, 4:45 PM GMT-3 (19:45 UTC), 27 km (17 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M7.7 53 km SW 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: 5.3 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Wed, Apr 2, 2014, 4:45 PM GMT-3
UTC: 2014-04-02 19:45:51 UTC
Depth: 26.9 km (16.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 20.352° S, 70.450° 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
5.3	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.31	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
5.1	Mwr, regional moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Moment tensor · Reviewed

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: 5.3 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 169°, dip 58°, rake 88°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 352°, dip 32°, rake 93°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: FROM_LOCATION
Station coverage gap: 87°
Stations used: 490

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: at least 199 in the 60 days after this one and at least 200 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 199.

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usc000p1ic (also filed as iscgem609948307). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 6:21 PM UTC.