Chile earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 69 km SW of Ovalle, Chile

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 69 km SW of Ovalle, Chile on Fri, Feb 5, 2016, 2:28 AM GMT-3 (05:28 UTC), 24 km (15 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.3 37 km W of Ovalle, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Ovalle forecast More in Chile

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.1 (mwr), moderate
Local time: Fri, Feb 5, 2016, 2:28 AM GMT-3
UTC: 2016-02-05 05:28:08 UTC
Depth: 23.7 km (14.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 31.074° S, 71.671° 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: 4.7 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 354°, dip 14°, rake 100°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 164°, dip 76°, rake 88°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 5.0 km horizontally, 4.2 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 141°
Stations used: 73

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 59 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 us20004xzw (also filed as gcmt20160205052808, iscgem608505010). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 4:07 AM UTC.