M3.9 earthquake 80 km WSW of Vallenar, Chile
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 80 km WSW of Vallenar, Chile on Mon, Aug 15, 2016, 2:50 PM GMT-3 (17:50 UTC), 44 km (27 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.0 83 km WNW of Coquimbo, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.9 (mwr), minor
- Local time
- UTC
- 2016-08-15 17:50:16 UTC
- Depth
- 44.2 km (27.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 28.881° S, 71.503° 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
- 3.9 Mwr
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 1°, dip 23°, rake 92°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 179°, dip 67°, rake 89°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 3.7 km horizontally, 7.4 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Stations used
- 0
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.083 km WNW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3679 days ago · 10 km deep · 99 km away · felt by 1
- 4.685 km WSW of Vallenar, Chile · 3660 days ago · 20 km deep · 12 km away
- 4.550 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 3645 days ago · 52 km deep · 71 km away · felt by 1
- 4.877 km WNW of Coquimbo, Chile · 3643 days ago · 10 km deep · 98 km away
- 4.254 km N of La Serena, Chile · 3637 days ago · 50 km deep · 64 km away · felt by 1
- 4.426 km NNE of Vallenar, Chile · 3633 days ago · 99 km deep · 98 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10006dy6. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:10 PM UTC.