Chile earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 112 km WSW of Illapel, Chile

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 112 km WSW of Illapel, Chile on Sun, Sep 20, 2015, 6:20 AM GMT-3 (09:20 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.3 135 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
4.2 (mwr), light
Local time
UTC
2015-09-20 09:20:04 UTC
Depth
5.0 km (3.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
31.887° S, 72.321° 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.

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
Reverse (thrust)
Moment magnitude
4.2 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 162°, dip 89°, rake 87°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 50°, dip 4°, rake 158°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 7.1 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.08
Depth from
From moment tensor inversion
Station coverage gap
150°
Stations used
33

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 150 in the 60 days after this one and 49 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 150.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20003m5d. Read Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 11:34 PM UTC.