Chile earthquakes

M3.8 earthquake 107 km WNW of Iquique, Chile

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 107 km WNW of Iquique, Chile on Sat, Dec 19, 2015, 2:44 PM GMT-3 (17:44 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.8 32 km NNW 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
3.8 (mwr), minor
Local time
UTC
2015-12-19 17:44:04 UTC
Depth
9.5 km (5.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
19.940° S, 71.141° 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
3.8 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 352°, dip 38°, rake 92°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 170°, dip 52°, rake 89°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 4.0 km horizontally, 5.1 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.05
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
161°
Stations used
32

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us100048vc. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 5:50 AM UTC.