Chile earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 83 km W of Illapel, Chile

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 83 km W of Illapel, Chile on Fri, Sep 18, 2015, 12:32 AM GMT-3 (03:32 UTC), 10 km (7 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.1 93 km W of Illapel, 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: 4.9 (mwr), light
Local time: Fri, Sep 18, 2015, 12:32 AM GMT-3
UTC: 2015-09-18 03:32:17 UTC
Depth: 10.5 km (6.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 31.752° S, 72.038° W
Region: Chile
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

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: 4.9 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 359°, dip 24°, rake 89°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 180°, dip 66°, rake 90°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 4.9 km horizontally, 3.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.04
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 61°
Stations used: 123

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 200 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 200.

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20003l2z (also filed as gcmt20150918033217, iscgem608098398). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:52 PM UTC.