Chile earthquakes

M3.8 earthquake 65 km W of Ovalle, Chile

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 65 km W of Ovalle, Chile on Sun, Sep 27, 2015, 1:44 PM GMT-3 (16:44 UTC), 19 km (12 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.4 80 km WSW of Coquimbo, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Ovalle forecastMore in Chile

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
3.8 (mwr), minor
Local time
UTC
2015-09-27 16:44:30 UTC
Depth
19.4 km (12.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter
30.636° S, 71.880° 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
Reverse (thrust)
Moment magnitude
3.8 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 6°, dip 34°, rake 96°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 178°, dip 56°, rake 86°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 4.0 km horizontally, 4.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.06
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
194°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
34

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 190 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 190.

Before

Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20003pis. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:21 PM UTC.