Chile earthquakes

M5.2 earthquake 75 km SW of Ovalle, Chile

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 75 km SW of Ovalle, Chile on Thu, Sep 17, 2015, 7:39 PM GMT-3 (22:39 UTC), 23 km (14 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.8 39 km SW of Ovalle, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Ovalle forecast More in Chile

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.2 (mwr), moderate
Local time: Thu, Sep 17, 2015, 7:39 PM GMT-3
UTC: 2015-09-17 22:39:20 UTC
Depth: 23.2 km (14.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 31.031° S, 71.806° W
Region: Chile
Strongest shaking: IV, light shaking
PAGER alert: Green
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: IV, light shaking
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Estimated impact

The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.

Alert level: Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting: Normal
Moment magnitude: 5.0 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 10°, dip 72°, rake -93°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 201°, dip 18°, rake -80°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 1.2 km horizontally, 3.8 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 53°
Stations used: 225

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: at least 201 in the 60 days after this one and at least 200 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 201.

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20003l02 (also filed as gcmt20150917223920, iscgem607744042). Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 7:43 PM UTC.