Chile earthquakes

M5.5 earthquake 77 km SW of Ovalle, Chile

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 77 km SW of Ovalle, Chile on Mon, Sep 21, 2015, 3:36 PM GMT-3 (18:36 UTC), 27 km (17 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 43 km SSW of Coquimbo, 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: 5.5 (mww), moderate
Local time: Mon, Sep 21, 2015, 3:36 PM GMT-3
UTC: 2015-09-21 18:36:53 UTC
Depth: 26.9 km (16.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 31.046° S, 71.820° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 11
Strongest shaking: V, moderate 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: V, moderate shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 8.4% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 1.0 cm/s
Map: Automatic

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

Did you feel it?

11 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, weak shaking.

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: Reverse (thrust)
Moment magnitude: 5.5 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 176°, dip 62°, rake 88°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 1°, dip 28°, rake 94°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 5.6 km horizontally, 3.1 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 43°
Stations used: 676

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 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 us20003mis (also filed as gcmt20150921183653, iscgem610433566). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:06 AM UTC.