Chile earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 87 km WNW of Iquique, Chile

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 87 km WNW of Iquique, Chile on Fri, Dec 12, 2014, 9:35 AM GMT-3 (12:35 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.1 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Fri, Dec 12, 2014, 9:35 AM GMT-3
UTC: 2014-12-12 12:35:30 UTC
Depth: 20.0 km (12.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 19.917° S, 70.930° 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
5.1	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.19	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
5.1	Mwr, regional moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Moment tensor · Reviewed

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Felt (IV) at Arica and Cuya; (III) at Alto Hospicio, Camina, Iquique, Pica, Pozo Almonte and Quillagua; (II) at Huara and La Tirana.

From the USGS event page for usc000t5xm. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

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: 5.1 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 151°, dip 63°, rake 78°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 356°, dip 29°, rake 112°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 2.2 km horizontally, 1.7 km in depth
Depth from: FROM_MOMENT_TENSOR_INVERSION
Station coverage gap: 82°
Stations used: 275

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usc000t5xm (also filed as iscgem610574520). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 5:28 AM UTC.