Chile earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 32 km SW of Ovalle, Chile

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 32 km SW of Ovalle, Chile on Mon, Dec 19, 2016, 12:36 PM GMT-3 (15:36 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 77 km WSW of Coquimbo, 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: 4.9 (mwr), light
Local time: Mon, Dec 19, 2016, 12:36 PM GMT-3
UTC: 2016-12-19 15:36:46 UTC
Depth: 35.1 km (21.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 30.767° S, 71.480° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 2
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

2 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, 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: 4.6 Mwr
Nodal plane 1: Strike 357°, dip 30°, rake 92°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 175°, dip 60°, rake 89°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 3.9 km horizontally, 5.2 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 79°
Stations used: 244

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 18 in the 60 days after this one and 11 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 us200082kn (also filed as iscgem609925850). Read Thu, Sep 24, 2026, 2:40 PM UTC.