Chile earthquakes

M5.6 earthquake 87 km WSW of Iquique, Chile

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 87 km WSW of Iquique, Chile on Tue, Apr 8, 2014, 7:14 AM GMT-3 (10:14 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.2 71 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: 5.6 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Tue, Apr 8, 2014, 7:14 AM GMT-3
UTC: 2014-04-08 10:14:31 UTC
Depth: 6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 20.512° S, 70.923° 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
5.6	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.57	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
5.6	Mwc, centroid moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Moment tensor · Reviewed
5.7	Mwb, body-wave moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Moment tensor · Reviewed
5.5	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

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

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: Reverse (thrust)
Moment magnitude: 5.6 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 208°, dip 76°, rake 96°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 4°, dip 16°, rake 66°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: FROM_MOMENT_TENSOR_INVERSION
Station coverage gap: 95°
Stations used: 231

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 135 in the 60 days after this one and at least 200 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 135.

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usc000palw (also filed as iscgem604447942). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 8:34 AM UTC.