Chile earthquakes

M5.0 earthquake 79 km NNE of Calama, Chile

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 79 km NNE of Calama, Chile on Wed, Sep 7, 2016, 11:34 PM GMT-3 (02:34 UTC), 121 km (75 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.1 117 km NNE of Calama, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Calama 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
5.0 (mww), moderate
Local time
UTC
2016-09-08 02:34:04 UTC
Depth
121.4 km (75.4 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
21.799° S, 68.622° W
Region
Chile
Felt reports
1
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was V, moderate 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
Oblique reverse
Moment magnitude
5.0 Mww
Nodal plane 1
Strike 203°, dip 86°, rake 52°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 108°, dip 38°, rake 174°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 6.1 km horizontally, 4.5 km in depth
Stations used
0

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.0 and up: 12 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.178 km NE of Calama, Chile · 3664 days ago · 136 km deep · 19 km away
  2. 4.248 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3659 days ago · 116 km deep · 31 km away
  3. 5.1117 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3657 days ago · 104 km deep · 40 km away · felt by 2
  4. 4.158 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3655 days ago · 106 km deep · 21 km away
  5. 4.0127 km N of Calama, Chile · 3650 days ago · 130 km deep · 61 km away
  6. 4.278 km NE of Calama, Chile · 3642 days ago · 117 km deep · 20 km away
  7. 4.2116 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3639 days ago · 133 km deep · 40 km away
  8. 4.781 km NE of Calama, Chile · 3638 days ago · 119 km deep · 18 km away
  9. 4.671 km ENE of Calama, Chile · 3625 days ago · 118 km deep · 54 km away
  10. 5.145 km E of Calama, Chile · 3621 days ago · 92 km deep · 67 km away
  11. 4.1149 km N of Calama, Chile · 3620 days ago · 132 km deep · 82 km away
  12. 4.955 km NNW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile · 3619 days ago · 117 km deep · 75 km away

Before

  1. 4.2116 km NE of Calama, Chile · 3676 days ago · 133 km deep · 45 km away
  2. 4.167 km NE of Calama, Chile · 3678 days ago · 136 km deep · 20 km away
  3. 4.243 km ENE of Calama, Chile · 3684 days ago · 117 km deep · 51 km away
  4. 4.1123 km N of Calama, Chile · 3691 days ago · 111 km deep · 50 km away
  5. 4.386 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3691 days ago · 126 km deep · 18 km away
  6. 5.425 km ESE of Calama, Chile · 3697 days ago · 107 km deep · 79 km away · felt by 9
  7. 4.1119 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3698 days ago · 127 km deep · 41 km away
  8. 4.754 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3701 days ago · 145 km deep · 26 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10006mxc. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 5:45 AM UTC.