Chile earthquakes

M5.0 earthquake 46 km W of Ovalle, Chile

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 46 km W of Ovalle, Chile on Sun, Sep 20, 2015, 2:18 PM GMT-3 (17:18 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.3 26 km SSW 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: 5.0 (mwr), moderate
Local time: Sun, Sep 20, 2015, 2:18 PM GMT-3
UTC: 2015-09-20 17:18:28 UTC
Depth: 35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 30.625° S, 71.682° 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: Strike-slip
Moment magnitude: 4.8 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 50°, dip 13°, rake 153°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 167°, dip 84°, rake 79°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 3.2 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 143°
Stations used: 50

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 200 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 200.

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20003m80 (also filed as gcmt20150920171828). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:08 PM UTC.