M3.9 earthquake 77 km WNW of Vallenar, Chile
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 77 km WNW of Vallenar, Chile on Sun, Dec 25, 2016, 10:03 PM GMT-3 (01:03 UTC), 34 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.3 92 km WSW of Vallenar, 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
- 2016-12-26 01:03:32 UTC
- Depth
- 34.3 km (21.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 28.403° S, 71.530° 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 17°, dip 63°, rake 85°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 209°, dip 28°, rake 100°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 5.5 km horizontally, 4.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.05
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 101°
- Stations used
- 73
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.392 km WSW of Vallenar, Chile · 3552 days ago · 7 km deep · 45 km away
- 4.0119 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 3537 days ago · 11 km deep · 69 km away
- 5.196 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 3510 days ago · 16 km deep · 62 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10007ms9. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 5:40 AM UTC.