Chile earthquakes

M4.7 earthquake 126 km ESE of Iquique, Chile

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 126 km ESE of Iquique, Chile on Tue, Dec 16, 2014, 1:43 AM GMT-3 (04:43 UTC), 104 km (65 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.8 135 km E of Iquique, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

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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
4.7 (Mww, W-phase moment), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2014-12-16 04:43:47 UTC
Depth
104.2 km (64.7 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
20.473° S, 68.970° 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.ScaleComputed byNotes
4.7Mww, W-phase momentUSGS National Earthquake Information CenterPreferred · Reviewed
4.7Mwr, regional momentUSGS National Earthquake Information CenterMoment tensor · Reviewed

What happened

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

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

From the USGS event page for usc000t78m. 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.

Did You Feel It? map: shaking reported by the public
Shaking reported by the public, by area. Map: USGS Did You Feel It?

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting
Normal
Moment magnitude
4.7 Mww
Nodal plane 1
Strike 342°, dip 74°, rake -100°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 197°, dip 19°, rake -56°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 5.3 km horizontally, 4.9 km in depth
Depth from
FROM_LOCATION
Station coverage gap
56°
Stations used
55

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.7 and up: 13 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usc000t78m. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 7:51 PM UTC.