Chile earthquakes

M5.2 earthquake 22 km SW of Ovalle, Chile

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 22 km SW of Ovalle, Chile on Thu, Sep 24, 2015, 1:13 PM GMT-3 (16:13 UTC), 41 km (26 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.3 26 km SSW 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 (mww), moderate
Local time: Thu, Sep 24, 2015, 1:13 PM GMT-3
UTC: 2015-09-24 16:13:25 UTC
Depth: 41.0 km (25.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 30.730° S, 71.377° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 2
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.

Map: Automatic

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

Did you feel it?

2 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: 5.2 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 172°, dip 52°, rake 93°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 348°, dip 38°, rake 86°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 5.7 km horizontally, 4.0 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 41°
Stations used: 237

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 197 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 197.

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20003nrd (also filed as iscgem607811401). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 11:10 AM UTC.