Chile earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 37 km SW of Ovalle, Chile

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 37 km SW of Ovalle, Chile on Wed, Oct 21, 2015, 3:45 PM GMT-3 (18:45 UTC), 37 km (23 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.8 39 km SW of Ovalle, 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: 4.9 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Wed, Oct 21, 2015, 3:45 PM GMT-3
UTC: 2015-10-21 18:45:46 UTC
Depth: 36.8 km (22.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 30.831° S, 71.480° W
Region: Chile
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Felt (V) at Punitaqui; (IV) at Canela, Combarbala, Illapel, Monte Patria, Ovalle and Rio Hurtado; (III) at Andacollo, Coquimbo, La Serena and Salamanca.

From the USGS event page for us10003qbf. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 5.0 km horizontally, 4.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.04
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 76°
Stations used: 206

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 104 in the 60 days after this one and 174 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 104.

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10003qbf. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 7:17 PM UTC.