Chile earthquakes

M4.1 earthquake 89 km W of Illapel, Chile

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck 89 km W of Illapel, Chile on Sun, Sep 20, 2015, 12:38 PM GMT-3 (15:38 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.2 66 km SW of Ovalle, 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
4.1 (mwr), light
Local time
UTC
2015-09-20 15:38:48 UTC
Depth
10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
31.752° S, 72.104° 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
Normal
Moment magnitude
4.1 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 6°, dip 80°, rake -89°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 182°, dip 10°, rake -94°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 3.0 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.05
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
138°
Stations used
94

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 168 in the 60 days after this one and 31 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 168.

Before

Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20003m7e. Read Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 11:34 PM UTC.