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.

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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

Before

Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

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