Chile earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 93 km W of Illapel, Chile

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 93 km W of Illapel, Chile on Sun, Sep 20, 2015, 3:07 AM GMT-3 (06:07 UTC), 13 km (8 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.1 54 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: 5.1 (mww), moderate
Local time: Sun, Sep 20, 2015, 3:07 AM GMT-3
UTC: 2015-09-20 06:07:01 UTC
Depth: 13.1 km (8.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 31.677° S, 72.156° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 1
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

1 person 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: 5.1 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 176°, dip 73°, rake 88°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 3°, dip 17°, rake 96°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 3.6 km horizontally, 3.6 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 76°
Stations used: 145

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 183 in the 60 days after this one and 16 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 183.

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20003m40 (also filed as gcmt20150920060701, iscgem610433535). Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 5:15 PM UTC.