Chile earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 61 km WNW of Illapel, Chile

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 61 km WNW of Illapel, Chile on Sun, Mar 20, 2016, 8:23 PM GMT-3 (23:23 UTC), 29 km (18 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.6 27 km WSW 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
4.5 (mwr), light
Local time
UTC
2016-03-20 23:23:10 UTC
Depth
29.3 km (18.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
31.451° S, 71.777° 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
4.5 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 15°, dip 33°, rake 111°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 170°, dip 59°, rake 77°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 4.3 km horizontally, 4.4 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.04
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
138°
Stations used
81

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 32 in the 60 days after this one and 23 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.627 km WSW of Illapel, Chile · 3835 days ago · 43 km deep · 49 km away · felt by 1
  2. 4.833 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3833 days ago · 30 km deep · 88 km away
  3. 4.189 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3832 days ago · 13 km deep · 45 km away
  4. 4.531 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3832 days ago · 38 km deep · 86 km away
  5. 4.039 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3829 days ago · 27 km deep · 94 km away
  6. 4.247 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3826 days ago · 42 km deep · 91 km away
  7. 5.372 km NW of Illapel, Chile · 3823 days ago · 24 km deep · 24 km away · felt by 4
  8. 4.335 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 3822 days ago · 46 km deep · 76 km away
  9. 5.360 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3821 days ago · 30 km deep · 4 km away · felt by 7
  10. 3.853 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3818 days ago · 33 km deep · 88 km away
  11. 3.932 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3817 days ago · 43 km deep · 85 km away
  12. 4.399 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3817 days ago · 10 km deep · 55 km away
  13. 4.661 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3817 days ago · 35 km deep · 5 km away
  14. 4.663 km NW of La Ligua, Chile · 3813 days ago · 18 km deep · 76 km away · felt by 1
  15. 4.863 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3812 days ago · 20 km deep · 79 km away · felt by 1
  16. 4.930 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3810 days ago · 40 km deep · 83 km away · felt by 2
  17. 4.270 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3810 days ago · 35 km deep · 10 km away · felt by 1
  18. 5.215 km SW of Illapel, Chile · 3809 days ago · 42 km deep · 56 km away · felt by 7
  19. 4.559 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3808 days ago · 25 km deep · 86 km away
  20. 4.672 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3802 days ago · 22 km deep · 78 km away · felt by 2
  21. 4.375 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3802 days ago · 14 km deep · 81 km away
  22. 4.666 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 3801 days ago · 23 km deep · 57 km away
  23. 3.987 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3801 days ago · 10 km deep · 45 km away
  24. 3.964 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3799 days ago · 22 km deep · 94 km away
  25. 4.184 km WSW of Illapel, Chile · 3799 days ago · 17 km deep · 50 km away
  26. 4.250 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3787 days ago · 56 km deep · 97 km away
  27. 5.453 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3786 days ago · 25 km deep · 88 km away · felt by 5
  28. 4.357 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3785 days ago · 27 km deep · 97 km away
  29. 4.473 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3780 days ago · 19 km deep · 18 km away
  30. 4.257 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3779 days ago · 29 km deep · 93 km away
  31. 4.625 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3778 days ago · 46 km deep · 88 km away · felt by 2
  32. 4.492 km WSW of Illapel, Chile · 3778 days ago · 10 km deep · 54 km away

Before

  1. 4.318 km WSW of Illapel, Chile · 3837 days ago · 52 km deep · 51 km away
  2. 4.335 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3838 days ago · 35 km deep · 94 km away
  3. 4.739 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3839 days ago · 28 km deep · 91 km away
  4. 4.647 km SSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3842 days ago · 25 km deep · 64 km away
  5. 4.274 km NW of Illapel, Chile · 3842 days ago · 35 km deep · 24 km away
  6. 4.477 km NW of Illapel, Chile · 3842 days ago · 25 km deep · 25 km away
  7. 5.368 km NW of Illapel, Chile · 3842 days ago · 25 km deep · 24 km away · felt by 11
  8. 4.358 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3843 days ago · 41 km deep · 3 km away
  9. 4.543 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3844 days ago · 34 km deep · 82 km away
  10. 4.659 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile · 3844 days ago · 28 km deep · 88 km away
  11. 4.222 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 3849 days ago · 41 km deep · 89 km away
  12. 4.128 km SW of Illapel, Chile · 3850 days ago · 44 km deep · 50 km away
  13. 4.097 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3856 days ago · 20 km deep · 54 km away
  14. 4.053 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3857 days ago · 41 km deep · 91 km away
  15. 4.2102 km W of Illapel, Chile · 3858 days ago · 10 km deep · 46 km away
  16. 3.955 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3862 days ago · 22 km deep · 5 km away
  17. 4.351 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3862 days ago · 30 km deep · 76 km away
  18. 4.834 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 3862 days ago · 37 km deep · 79 km away · felt by 1
  19. 4.064 km NNW of Illapel, Chile · 3863 days ago · 43 km deep · 40 km away
  20. 4.024 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3864 days ago · 49 km deep · 93 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20005bbr. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:01 AM UTC.