Chile earthquakes

M4.7 earthquake 70 km WNW of Illapel, Chile

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 70 km WNW of Illapel, Chile on Fri, Sep 18, 2015, 11:49 PM GMT-3 (02:49 UTC), 25 km (16 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.2 22 km SW of Ovalle, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Los Vilos 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: 4.7 (mwr), light
Local time: Fri, Sep 18, 2015, 11:49 PM GMT-3
UTC: 2015-09-19 02:49:40 UTC
Depth: 25.1 km (15.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 31.497° S, 71.890° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 5
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

5 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, weak shaking.

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: 4.7 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 149°, dip 57°, rake 71°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 1°, dip 37°, rake 117°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 4.7 km horizontally, 3.4 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.04
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 44°
Stations used: 118

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.7 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 us20003lpf (also filed as gcmt20150919024940). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:45 AM UTC.