Chile earthquakes

M3.8 earthquake 79 km W of Illapel, Chile

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 79 km W of Illapel, Chile on Tue, Sep 13, 2016, 7:00 AM GMT-3 (10:00 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 78 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
3.8 (mwr), minor
Local time
UTC
2016-09-13 10:00:54 UTC
Depth
35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
31.572° S, 72.004° 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
3.8 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 8°, dip 42°, rake 104°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 170°, dip 49°, rake 78°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 3.9 km horizontally, 2.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.06
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
194°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
24

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.078 km NW of La Ligua, Chile · 3651 days ago · 42 km deep · 55 km away
  2. 4.661 km NW of La Ligua, Chile · 3645 days ago · 16 km deep · 63 km away
  3. 4.647 km SSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3638 days ago · 67 km deep · 86 km away
  4. 4.044 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 3623 days ago · 37 km deep · 89 km away
  5. 3.980 km NW of Illapel, Chile · 3616 days ago · 19 km deep · 41 km away
  6. 4.353 km WSW of Illapel, Chile · 3615 days ago · 19 km deep · 41 km away
  7. 3.948 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3612 days ago · 42 km deep · 34 km away
  8. 3.966 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3604 days ago · 20 km deep · 64 km away · felt by 1

Before

  1. 4.939 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3668 days ago · 30 km deep · 91 km away · felt by 4
  2. 4.255 km SW of Illapel, Chile · 3669 days ago · 67 km deep · 56 km away
  3. 4.388 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3674 days ago · 8 km deep · 62 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10006p8e. Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 10:14 AM UTC.