M4.8 earthquake 135 km E of Iquique, Chile

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 135 km E of Iquique, Chile on Thu, Dec 18, 2014, 3:24 AM GMT-3 (06:24 UTC), 103 km (64 mi) below the surface.

Map

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

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
4.8	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
4.7	Mwr, regional moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Moment tensor · Reviewed

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

Felt (IV) at Alto Hospicio, Iquique, Pica and Pozo Almonte; (II) at Quillagua.

From the USGS event page for usc000t7tn. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

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

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usc000t7tn. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 5:24 AM UTC.