Chile earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 31 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 31 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile on Sat, Mar 26, 2016, 5:56 AM GMT-3 (08:56 UTC), 38 km (24 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 72 km NW of Illapel, 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
4.5 (mwr), light
Local time
UTC
2016-03-26 08:56:31 UTC
Depth
38.1 km (23.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
30.716° S, 71.505° 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
4.3 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 8°, dip 55°, rake 98°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 174°, dip 36°, rake 79°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 6.4 km horizontally, 3.2 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
83°
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: 30 in the 60 days after this one and 23 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20005ck2. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 2:17 PM UTC.