Chile earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 102 km W of Illapel, Chile

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 102 km W of Illapel, Chile on Mon, Feb 29, 2016, 2:17 PM GMT-3 (17:17 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 68 km NW of Illapel, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

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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
4.2 (mwr), light
Local time
UTC
2016-02-29 17:17:01 UTC
Depth
10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
31.546° S, 72.244° 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.

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
4.2 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 10°, dip 37°, rake 105°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 172°, dip 54°, rake 79°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 2.3 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.05
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
142°
Stations used
42

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 25 in the 60 days after this one and 14 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.097 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3862 days ago · 20 km deep · 28 km away
  2. 4.128 km SW of Illapel, Chile · 3856 days ago · 44 km deep · 83 km away
  3. 4.659 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3849 days ago · 28 km deep · 88 km away
  4. 4.358 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3848 days ago · 41 km deep · 48 km away
  5. 5.368 km NW of Illapel, Chile · 3847 days ago · 25 km deep · 59 km away · felt by 11
  6. 4.477 km NW of Illapel, Chile · 3847 days ago · 25 km deep · 52 km away
  7. 4.274 km NW of Illapel, Chile · 3847 days ago · 35 km deep · 55 km away
  8. 4.318 km WSW of Illapel, Chile · 3843 days ago · 52 km deep · 88 km away
  9. 4.561 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3843 days ago · 29 km deep · 46 km away
  10. 4.627 km WSW of Illapel, Chile · 3841 days ago · 43 km deep · 82 km away · felt by 1
  11. 4.189 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3837 days ago · 13 km deep · 26 km away
  12. 5.372 km NW of Illapel, Chile · 3828 days ago · 24 km deep · 57 km away · felt by 4
  13. 5.360 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3826 days ago · 30 km deep · 44 km away · felt by 7
  14. 4.399 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3822 days ago · 10 km deep · 58 km away
  15. 4.661 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3822 days ago · 35 km deep · 43 km away
  16. 4.663 km NW of La Ligua, Chile · 3818 days ago · 18 km deep · 78 km away · felt by 1
  17. 4.863 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3817 days ago · 20 km deep · 79 km away · felt by 1
  18. 4.270 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3815 days ago · 35 km deep · 36 km away · felt by 1
  19. 5.215 km SW of Illapel, Chile · 3814 days ago · 42 km deep · 93 km away · felt by 7
  20. 4.672 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3807 days ago · 22 km deep · 74 km away · felt by 2
  21. 4.375 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3807 days ago · 14 km deep · 74 km away
  22. 4.666 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 3807 days ago · 23 km deep · 81 km away
  23. 3.987 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3806 days ago · 10 km deep · 29 km away
  24. 3.964 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3805 days ago · 22 km deep · 90 km away
  25. 4.184 km WSW of Illapel, Chile · 3804 days ago · 17 km deep · 39 km away

Before

  1. 3.7149 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3866 days ago · 4 km deep · 90 km away
  2. 3.955 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3867 days ago · 22 km deep · 50 km away
  3. 4.064 km NNW of Illapel, Chile · 3868 days ago · 43 km deep · 80 km away
  4. 4.186 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3870 days ago · 6 km deep · 21 km away
  5. 4.6176 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3873 days ago · 10 km deep · 82 km away
  6. 4.867 km NW of Illapel, Chile · 3875 days ago · 36 km deep · 65 km away
  7. 4.316 km SW of Illapel, Chile · 3880 days ago · 55 km deep · 90 km away
  8. 3.976 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3884 days ago · 24 km deep · 69 km away
  9. 4.381 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3884 days ago · 22 km deep · 64 km away
  10. 4.495 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3885 days ago · 12 km deep · 28 km away
  11. 5.169 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 3887 days ago · 24 km deep · 76 km away
  12. 5.077 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 3887 days ago · 25 km deep · 68 km away
  13. 4.673 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 3888 days ago · 27 km deep · 71 km away
  14. 4.969 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 3888 days ago · 25 km deep · 75 km away · felt by 1

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10004tld. Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 1:49 PM UTC.