Chile earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 122 km NNE of Calama, Chile

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 122 km NNE of Calama, Chile on Thu, Mar 16, 2017, 1:12 AM GMT-3 (04:12 UTC), 115 km (72 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.7 164 km ESE of Iquique, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Calama 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
2017-03-16 04:12:05 UTC
Depth
115.2 km (71.6 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
21.502° S, 68.324° 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
Normal
Moment magnitude
4.5 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 348°, dip 65°, rake -89°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 165°, dip 25°, rake -93°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 6.2 km horizontally, 5.1 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.05
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
45°
Stations used
105

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 18 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.1154 km NE of Calama, Chile · 3483 days ago · 195 km deep · 37 km away
  2. 5.1108 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3480 days ago · 125 km deep · 16 km away · felt by 1
  3. 4.0106 km SW of Uyuni, Bolivia · 3479 days ago · 200 km deep · 89 km away
  4. 4.3151 km SW of Uyuni, Bolivia · 3477 days ago · 182 km deep · 60 km away
  5. 4.3137 km N of Calama, Chile · 3467 days ago · 115 km deep · 66 km away
  6. 4.799 km N of Calama, Chile · 3459 days ago · 133 km deep · 61 km away
  7. 4.333 km NE of Calama, Chile · 3455 days ago · 128 km deep · 93 km away
  8. 4.0118 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3453 days ago · 128 km deep · 7 km away
  9. 5.096 km NE of Calama, Chile · 3453 days ago · 113 km deep · 30 km away
  10. 4.445 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3448 days ago · 120 km deep · 78 km away
  11. 4.462 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3445 days ago · 124 km deep · 64 km away
  12. 4.1137 km SE of Iquique, Chile · 3444 days ago · 103 km deep · 100 km away
  13. 4.2151 km N of Calama, Chile · 3440 days ago · 133 km deep · 56 km away
  14. 4.391 km N of Calama, Chile · 3440 days ago · 96 km deep · 47 km away
  15. 4.0143 km N of Calama, Chile · 3435 days ago · 119 km deep · 76 km away
  16. 4.4122 km N of Calama, Chile · 3433 days ago · 134 km deep · 83 km away
  17. 4.0124 km WSW of Colchani, Bolivia · 3432 days ago · 199 km deep · 88 km away
  18. 5.7164 km ESE of Iquique, Chile · 3426 days ago · 116 km deep · 85 km away · felt by 7

Before

  1. 4.793 km NE of Calama, Chile · 3496 days ago · 108 km deep · 40 km away
  2. 4.243 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 3511 days ago · 105 km deep · 79 km away
  3. 4.278 km NE of Calama, Chile · 3513 days ago · 98 km deep · 49 km away
  4. 4.3103 km NE of Calama, Chile · 3514 days ago · 134 km deep · 22 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20008set. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 5:09 PM UTC.