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

  1. 4.2106 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4150 days ago · 10 km deep · 11 km away
  2. 4.276 km W of Iquique, Chile · 4149 days ago · 35 km deep · 44 km away
  3. 4.436 km NNE of Iquique, Chile · 4149 days ago · 66 km deep · 99 km away
  4. 5.371 km W of Iquique, Chile · 4148 days ago · 17 km deep · 43 km away · felt by 7
  5. 4.1Near the coast of Tarapaca, Chile · 4147 days ago · 32 km deep · 47 km away
  6. 4.868 km W of Iquique, Chile · 4147 days ago · 27 km deep · 44 km away
  7. 4.09 km NNE of Iquique, Chile · 4142 days ago · 44 km deep · 98 km away
  8. 3.730 km NW of Iquique, Chile · 4142 days ago · 36 km deep · 68 km away · felt by 1
  9. 5.084 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4139 days ago · 20 km deep · 15 km away
  10. 4.187 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4133 days ago · 15 km deep · 17 km away
  11. 4.770 km W of Iquique, Chile · 4130 days ago · 13 km deep · 45 km away · felt by 1
  12. 4.573 km W of Iquique, Chile · 4130 days ago · 10 km deep · 51 km away
  13. 4.373 km W of Iquique, Chile · 4130 days ago · 13 km deep · 48 km away
  14. 4.083 km W of Iquique, Chile · 4130 days ago · 13 km deep · 44 km away
  15. 4.1100 km WSW of Iquique, Chile · 4129 days ago · 8 km deep · 81 km away
  16. 4.561 km W of Iquique, Chile · 4122 days ago · 24 km deep · 54 km away

Before

  1. 4.194 km NW of Iquique, Chile · 4151 days ago · 37 km deep · 24 km away
  2. 4.396 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4152 days ago · 21 km deep · 4 km away
  3. 4.387 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4152 days ago · 15 km deep · 10 km away
  4. 4.8105 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4167 days ago · 10 km deep · 18 km away

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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.