Chile earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 74 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 74 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile on Sun, Sep 20, 2015, 1:22 AM GMT-3 (04:22 UTC), 22 km (14 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.1 93 km W of Illapel, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

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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
2015-09-20 04:22:04 UTC
Depth
22.3 km (13.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
32.129° S, 71.927° 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 178°, dip 64°, rake 108°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 322°, dip 31°, rake 58°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 4.0 km horizontally, 4.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.05
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
148°
Stations used
51

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 139 in the 60 days after this one and 60 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 139.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20003m3j. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 2:53 AM UTC.