Chile earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 109 km W of Illapel, Chile

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 109 km W of Illapel, Chile on Fri, May 20, 2016, 11:00 AM GMT-4 (15:00 UTC), 30 km (19 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.4 75 km NW of La Ligua, 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
2016-05-20 15:00:59 UTC
Depth
30.0 km (18.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
31.830° S, 72.300° 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.

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 356°, dip 27°, rake 79°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 188°, dip 64°, rake 95°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 5.5 km horizontally, 6.1 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.04
Stations used
0

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 19 in the 60 days after this one and 11 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.475 km NW of La Ligua, Chile · 3774 days ago · 11 km deep · 46 km away
  2. 4.4107 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3768 days ago · 35 km deep · 8 km away
  3. 4.057 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3768 days ago · 26 km deep · 68 km away
  4. 4.725 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3767 days ago · 56 km deep · 84 km away
  5. 4.055 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3763 days ago · 25 km deep · 68 km away
  6. 4.333 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3762 days ago · 45 km deep · 78 km away
  7. 4.359 km SW of Illapel, Chile · 3760 days ago · 35 km deep · 65 km away
  8. 3.984 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 3759 days ago · 20 km deep · 94 km away
  9. 4.258 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3758 days ago · 14 km deep · 59 km away
  10. 3.977 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3752 days ago · 10 km deep · 56 km away · felt by 1
  11. 4.080 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3746 days ago · 20 km deep · 40 km away
  12. 4.1114 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3744 days ago · 15 km deep · 69 km away
  13. 4.437 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3742 days ago · 40 km deep · 78 km away
  14. 4.399 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3741 days ago · 10 km deep · 16 km away
  15. 5.028 km SW of Illapel, Chile · 3739 days ago · 46 km deep · 83 km away · felt by 6
  16. 4.1101 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3738 days ago · 10 km deep · 13 km away
  17. 4.399 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3738 days ago · 22 km deep · 18 km away
  18. 4.642 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3733 days ago · 44 km deep · 83 km away · felt by 1
  19. 4.329 km WSW of Illapel, Chile · 3723 days ago · 43 km deep · 81 km away

Before

  1. 4.397 km WSW of Illapel, Chile · 3777 days ago · 10 km deep · 12 km away
  2. 4.492 km WSW of Illapel, Chile · 3778 days ago · 10 km deep · 17 km away
  3. 4.473 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3780 days ago · 19 km deep · 74 km away
  4. 4.250 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3788 days ago · 56 km deep · 75 km away
  5. 4.254 km NNW of Valparaíso, Chile · 3788 days ago · 24 km deep · 94 km away
  6. 3.652 km NNW of Valparaíso, Chile · 3797 days ago · 19 km deep · 96 km away
  7. 4.184 km WSW of Illapel, Chile · 3799 days ago · 17 km deep · 25 km away
  8. 3.964 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3800 days ago · 22 km deep · 64 km away
  9. 3.987 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3801 days ago · 10 km deep · 22 km away
  10. 4.375 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3802 days ago · 14 km deep · 49 km away
  11. 4.672 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3802 days ago · 22 km deep · 51 km away · felt by 2

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10005iu8. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 6:19 PM UTC.