Chile earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 90 km S of Arica, Chile

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 90 km S of Arica, Chile on Wed, Jan 13, 2016, 9:20 AM GMT-3 (12:20 UTC), 55 km (34 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.2 52 km WSW of Arica, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Arica forecastMore in Chile

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.8 (mww), light
Local time
UTC
2016-01-13 12:20:39 UTC
Depth
55.0 km (34.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
19.285° S, 70.168° W
Region
Chile
Felt reports
5
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

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

Did You Feel It? map: shaking reported by the public
Shaking reported by the public, by area. Map: USGS Did You Feel It?

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
4.8 Mww
Nodal plane 1
Strike 332°, dip 46°, rake 96°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 144°, dip 44°, rake 84°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 4.7 km horizontally, 4.7 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
127°
Stations used
73

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.1121 km SE of Arica, Chile · 3899 days ago · 101 km deep · 72 km away
  2. 4.832 km NNW of Iquique, Chile · 3882 days ago · 62 km deep · 77 km away · felt by 2
  3. 4.2116 km SE of Arica, Chile · 3881 days ago · 105 km deep · 77 km away
  4. 4.1103 km SE of Arica, Chile · 3878 days ago · 99 km deep · 72 km away
  5. 4.353 km S of Arica, Chile · 3875 days ago · 68 km deep · 38 km away
  6. 5.252 km WSW of Arica, Chile · 3864 days ago · 33 km deep · 89 km away · felt by 3
  7. 4.7130 km SE of Arica, Chile · 3862 days ago · 113 km deep · 96 km away
  8. 4.059 km SW of Arica, Chile · 3862 days ago · 35 km deep · 63 km away
  9. 5.079 km ESE of Arica, Chile · 3856 days ago · 94 km deep · 78 km away · felt by 1
  10. 4.0Tarapaca, Chile · 3855 days ago · 98 km deep · 72 km away

Before

  1. 4.717 km ENE of Arica, Chile · 3931 days ago · 52 km deep · 98 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10004e2m. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 4:48 AM UTC.