Chile earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 96 km WNW of Iquique, Chile

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 96 km WNW of Iquique, Chile on Wed, May 20, 2015, 9:23 AM GMT-3 (12:23 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 71 km W of Iquique, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Iquique 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
4.2 (mwr), light
Local time
UTC
2015-05-20 12:23:29 UTC
Depth
14.8 km (9.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
19.828° S, 70.982° 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
4.2 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 347°, dip 43°, rake 88°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 170°, dip 47°, rake 92°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 3.3 km horizontally, 4.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.05
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
142°
Stations used
40

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 16 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10002au2. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 5:38 PM UTC.