Chile earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 68 km NW of Illapel, Chile

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 68 km NW of Illapel, Chile on Wed, Mar 16, 2016, 12:49 AM GMT-3 (03:49 UTC), 25 km (16 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 53 km W of Ovalle, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Illapel forecast More in Chile

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.3 (mww), moderate
Local time: Wed, Mar 16, 2016, 12:49 AM GMT-3
UTC: 2016-03-16 03:49:32 UTC
Depth: 25.4 km (15.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 31.241° S, 71.731° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 11
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

11 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, weak 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: 5.3 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 176°, dip 58°, rake 92°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 353°, dip 32°, rake 87°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 4.6 km horizontally, 3.5 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 92°
Stations used: 175

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 37 in the 60 days after this one and 23 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 us20005a3a (also filed as iscgem608485014). Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 9:38 AM UTC.