Chile earthquakes

M3.9 earthquake 67 km WSW of Iquique, Chile

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 67 km WSW of Iquique, Chile on Tue, Oct 20, 2015, 4:03 PM GMT-3 (19:03 UTC), 17 km (10 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.5 98 km WNW 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
3.9 (mwr), minor
Local time
UTC
2015-10-20 19:03:09 UTC
Depth
16.8 km (10.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
20.546° S, 70.696° 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
3.9 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 357°, dip 19°, rake 100°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 167°, dip 72°, rake 87°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 4.3 km horizontally, 5.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.06
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
177°
Stations used
21

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.179 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 3987 days ago · 30 km deep · 69 km away
  2. 4.095 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 3979 days ago · 18 km deep · 87 km away
  3. 3.999 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 3979 days ago · 20 km deep · 87 km away
  4. 4.293 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 3959 days ago · 11 km deep · 72 km away
  5. 4.098 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 3946 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
  6. 4.598 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 3946 days ago · 15 km deep · 76 km away
  7. 3.8107 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 3938 days ago · 10 km deep · 82 km away

Before

  1. 4.577 km WSW of Iquique, Chile · 4002 days ago · 15 km deep · 10 km away · felt by 1
  2. 4.289 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4012 days ago · 13 km deep · 67 km away
  3. 4.480 km W of Iquique, Chile · 4020 days ago · 29 km deep · 32 km away
  4. 4.190 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4025 days ago · 12 km deep · 69 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10003q0f. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:18 PM UTC.