Chile earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 148 km N of Calama, Chile

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 148 km N of Calama, Chile on Thu, Dec 21, 2017, 1:39 AM GMT-3 (04:39 UTC), 138 km (86 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.3 120 km E of Iquique, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Pozo Almonte 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 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
2017-12-21 04:39:24 UTC
Depth
137.6 km (85.5 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
21.129° S, 68.712° 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.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 4.8 km horizontally, 8.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.20
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
76°
Stations used
49

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 12 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.3106 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3201 days ago · 126 km deep · 66 km away
  2. 4.5138 km N of Calama, Chile · 3196 days ago · 119 km deep · 11 km away
  3. 4.3110 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3191 days ago · 141 km deep · 48 km away
  4. 4.5113 km N of Calama, Chile · 3182 days ago · 119 km deep · 36 km away
  5. 4.387 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3181 days ago · 119 km deep · 65 km away
  6. 4.3131 km WSW of Colchani, Bolivia · 3175 days ago · 211 km deep · 77 km away
  7. 5.3120 km E of Iquique, Chile · 3172 days ago · 105 km deep · 93 km away · felt by 4
  8. 4.361 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3171 days ago · 120 km deep · 90 km away
  9. 4.2120 km E of Iquique, Chile · 3163 days ago · 132 km deep · 85 km away
  10. 4.5152 km N of Calama, Chile · 3163 days ago · 146 km deep · 7 km away
  11. 4.0116 km ESE of Iquique, Chile · 3157 days ago · 103 km deep · 86 km away
  12. 4.182 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3146 days ago · 124 km deep · 75 km away

Before

  1. 4.489 km N of Calama, Chile · 3216 days ago · 114 km deep · 59 km away
  2. 4.2152 km SW of Uyuni, Bolivia · 3220 days ago · 190 km deep · 75 km away
  3. 4.3108 km WSW of Colchani, Bolivia · 3221 days ago · 166 km deep · 99 km away
  4. 3.961 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3229 days ago · 122 km deep · 92 km away
  5. 4.2135 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3233 days ago · 133 km deep · 26 km away
  6. 4.3130 km ESE of Iquique, Chile · 3235 days ago · 105 km deep · 75 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us1000bu6j. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 12:45 AM UTC.