Chile earthquakes

M5.2 earthquake 50 km SW of Coquimbo, Chile

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 50 km SW of Coquimbo, Chile on Fri, Jan 29, 2016, 5:07 PM GMT-3 (20:07 UTC), 36 km (22 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.3 37 km W of Ovalle, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Coquimbo 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 (mwr), moderate
Local time: Fri, Jan 29, 2016, 5:07 PM GMT-3
UTC: 2016-01-29 20:07:15 UTC
Depth: 35.8 km (22.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 30.332° S, 71.633° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 3
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

3 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light 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: 4.8 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 16°, dip 27°, rake 104°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 180°, dip 64°, rake 83°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 4.7 km horizontally, 4.1 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 113°
Stations used: 216

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: 54 in the 60 days after this one and 19 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 us20004vly (also filed as gcmt20160129200715, iscgem612141655). Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 3:40 AM UTC.