Chile earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 85 km WNW of Iquique, Chile

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 85 km WNW of Iquique, Chile on Tue, Sep 15, 2015, 3:54 PM GMT-3 (18:54 UTC), 11 km (7 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.0 Near the coast of Tarapaca, 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
2015-09-15 18:54:26 UTC
Depth
11.1 km (6.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
20.020° S, 70.945° 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
4.2 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 353°, dip 29°, rake 104°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 157°, dip 62°, rake 82°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 3.6 km horizontally, 2.4 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.05
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
146°
Stations used
42

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 14 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.0Near the coast of Tarapaca, Chile · 4032 days ago · 10 km deep · 15 km away
  2. 4.974 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4032 days ago · 14 km deep · 11 km away
  3. 4.591 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4031 days ago · 16 km deep · 7 km away
  4. 4.987 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4031 days ago · 13 km deep · 5 km away · felt by 1
  5. 4.981 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4031 days ago · 9 km deep · 10 km away
  6. 4.1Near the coast of Tarapaca, Chile · 4031 days ago · 12 km deep · 17 km away
  7. 4.190 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4024 days ago · 12 km deep · 6 km away
  8. 4.480 km W of Iquique, Chile · 4019 days ago · 29 km deep · 35 km away
  9. 4.289 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4011 days ago · 13 km deep · 4 km away
  10. 4.577 km WSW of Iquique, Chile · 4001 days ago · 15 km deep · 65 km away · felt by 1
  11. 3.967 km WSW of Iquique, Chile · 3997 days ago · 17 km deep · 64 km away
  12. 4.179 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 3986 days ago · 30 km deep · 13 km away
  13. 4.095 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 3978 days ago · 18 km deep · 24 km away
  14. 3.999 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 3978 days ago · 20 km deep · 23 km away

Before

  1. 4.489 km WNW of Iquique, Chile · 4037 days ago · 15 km deep · 4 km away · felt by 1
  2. 3.9Near the coast of Tarapaca, Chile · 4048 days ago · 48 km deep · 86 km away · felt by 1
  3. 4.360 km N of Iquique, Chile · 4055 days ago · 69 km deep · 82 km away · felt by 2
  4. 4.620 km SW of Iquique, Chile · 4055 days ago · 46 km deep · 79 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20003jr5. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 8:51 PM UTC.