Chile earthquakes

M5.2 earthquake 84 km NNW of Vallenar, Chile

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 84 km NNW of Vallenar, Chile on Mon, Mar 2, 2015, 1:53 PM GMT-3 (16:53 UTC), 34 km (21 mi) below the surface.

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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: 5.2 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Mon, Mar 2, 2015, 1:53 PM GMT-3
UTC: 2015-03-02 16:53:46 UTC
Depth: 33.7 km (20.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 27.866° S, 71.065° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 5
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
5.2	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.29	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
5.1	Mwr, regional moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Moment tensor · Reviewed
5.2	Mwb, body-wave moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Moment tensor · Reviewed

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Felt (IV) at Copiapo, Tierra Amarilla and Vallenar; (III) at Alto del Carmen, Caldera, Diego de Almagro, Freirina, Huasco and La Higuera; (II) at Coquimbo and La Serena.

From the USGS event page for usc000tucw. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Did you feel it?

5 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was V, moderate shaking.

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 180°, dip 61°, rake 77°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 25°, dip 32°, rake 112°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 4.9 km horizontally, 2.0 km in depth
Depth from: FROM_LOCATION
Station coverage gap: 86°
Stations used: 508

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usc000tucw (also filed as iscgem606760430). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 4:22 AM UTC.