Chile earthquakes

M3.9 earthquake 76 km NW of Illapel, Chile

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 76 km NW of Illapel, Chile on Sat, Sep 26, 2015, 6:18 PM GMT-3 (21:18 UTC), 29 km (18 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 50 km W of Illapel, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Illapel forecastMore in Chile

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.9 (mwr), minor
Local time
UTC
2015-09-26 21:18:03 UTC
Depth
28.9 km (17.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
31.245° S, 71.834° 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
3.9 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 360°, dip 30°, rake 93°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 176°, dip 60°, rake 88°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 4.8 km horizontally, 5.2 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.07
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
84°
Stations used
49

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 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 us20003pdn. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 2:01 AM UTC.