Chile earthquakes

M4.6 earthquake 148 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 148 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile on Mon, Sep 21, 2015, 9:49 AM GMT-3 (12:49 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 73 km SW of Ovalle, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Los Vilos 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: 4.6 (mwr), light
Local time: Mon, Sep 21, 2015, 9:49 AM GMT-3
UTC: 2015-09-21 12:49:26 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 31.065° S, 72.656° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 1
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

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: 4.6 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 160°, dip 45°, rake -106°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 3°, dip 47°, rake -74°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 5.7 km horizontally, 1.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.06
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 80°
Stations used: 81

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.6 and up: 168 in the 60 days after this one and 31 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 168.

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20003mfi (also filed as gcmt20150921124921). Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 12:58 AM UTC.