Chile earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 57 km W of Ovalle, Chile

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 57 km W of Ovalle, Chile on Wed, May 18, 2016, 5:04 PM GMT-4 (21:04 UTC), 29 km (18 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 15 km SW of Coquimbo, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Ovalle forecastMore in Chile

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, regional moment), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2016-05-18 21:04:13 UTC
Depth
28.8 km (17.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
30.614° S, 71.803° 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 344°, dip 26°, rake 93°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 161°, dip 64°, rake 89°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 5.1 km horizontally, 4.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.04
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
172°
Stations used
62

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 34 in the 60 days after this one and 13 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.625 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3790 days ago · 46 km deep · 37 km away · felt by 2
  2. 5.146 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3788 days ago · 26 km deep · 11 km away · felt by 2
  3. 4.851 km W of Coquimbo, Chile · 3783 days ago · 17 km deep · 75 km away · felt by 1
  4. 4.0Near the coast of Coquimbo, Chile · 3782 days ago · 26 km deep · 54 km away
  5. 4.187 km W of Coquimbo, Chile · 3777 days ago · 10 km deep · 70 km away
  6. 3.930 km WSW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3776 days ago · 39 km deep · 65 km away
  7. 4.055 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3775 days ago · 25 km deep · 95 km away
  8. 5.515 km SW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3773 days ago · 28 km deep · 71 km away · felt by 3
  9. 5.421 km SW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3773 days ago · 30 km deep · 66 km away
  10. 3.984 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 3772 days ago · 20 km deep · 49 km away
  11. 3.827 km SW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3771 days ago · 27 km deep · 62 km away
  12. 4.367 km W of Coquimbo, Chile · 3770 days ago · 8 km deep · 69 km away
  13. 4.341 km SW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3768 days ago · 35 km deep · 45 km away
  14. 4.337 km SW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3765 days ago · 34 km deep · 54 km away
  15. 4.713 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3763 days ago · 58 km deep · 47 km away
  16. 4.526 km WSW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3762 days ago · 34 km deep · 65 km away · felt by 1
  17. 4.853 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3762 days ago · 30 km deep · 7 km away
  18. 4.145 km WNW of Ovalle, Chile · 3760 days ago · 25 km deep · 23 km away
  19. 4.1Near the coast of Coquimbo, Chile · 3759 days ago · 35 km deep · 43 km away
  20. 4.275 km WSW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3759 days ago · 10 km deep · 50 km away
  21. 4.450 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3757 days ago · 23 km deep · 8 km away
  22. 5.147 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3757 days ago · 26 km deep · 11 km away · felt by 1
  23. 4.1114 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3757 days ago · 15 km deep · 80 km away
  24. 4.245 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3752 days ago · 25 km deep · 13 km away
  25. 4.854 km WNW of Ovalle, Chile · 3750 days ago · 29 km deep · 30 km away
  26. 4.472 km WSW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3750 days ago · 12 km deep · 60 km away
  27. 4.635 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 3747 days ago · 38 km deep · 37 km away · felt by 1
  28. 4.642 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3745 days ago · 44 km deep · 95 km away · felt by 1
  29. 4.059 km WNW of Ovalle, Chile · 3744 days ago · 26 km deep · 23 km away
  30. 4.544 km NW of Ovalle, Chile · 3742 days ago · 35 km deep · 35 km away
  31. 4.135 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3741 days ago · 41 km deep · 23 km away
  32. 4.922 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3738 days ago · 49 km deep · 38 km away
  33. 4.777 km W of Coquimbo, Chile · 3737 days ago · 8 km deep · 89 km away
  34. 4.28 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 3736 days ago · 42 km deep · 50 km away

Before

  1. 4.473 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 3793 days ago · 19 km deep · 76 km away
  2. 4.357 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3797 days ago · 27 km deep · 4 km away
  3. 4.118 km NW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3798 days ago · 45 km deep · 89 km away
  4. 5.453 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3799 days ago · 25 km deep · 8 km away · felt by 5
  5. 4.472 km WSW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3803 days ago · 23 km deep · 41 km away
  6. 3.918 km NNW of Ovalle, Chile · 3803 days ago · 31 km deep · 55 km away
  7. 4.428 km NW of Ovalle, Chile · 3804 days ago · 50 km deep · 44 km away
  8. 4.288 km WSW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3809 days ago · 10 km deep · 46 km away
  9. 4.291 km WSW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3809 days ago · 10 km deep · 53 km away
  10. 4.871 km WNW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3810 days ago · 10 km deep · 97 km away
  11. 4.666 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 3814 days ago · 23 km deep · 37 km away
  12. 3.752 km WNW of Ovalle, Chile · 3820 days ago · 23 km deep · 24 km away
  13. 4.559 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 3820 days ago · 25 km deep · 8 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10005ibs. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 3:21 AM UTC.