Chile earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 108 km NNE of Calama, Chile

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 108 km NNE of Calama, Chile on Tue, Mar 21, 2017, 12:01 PM GMT-3 (15:01 UTC), 125 km (78 mi) below the surface.

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

Calama forecast More in Chile

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.1 (mww), moderate
Local time: Tue, Mar 21, 2017, 12:01 PM GMT-3
UTC: 2017-03-21 15:01:59 UTC
Depth: 125.0 km (77.7 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter: 21.576° S, 68.459° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 1
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting: Oblique reverse
Moment magnitude: 5.1 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 313°, dip 15°, rake 35°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 189°, dip 81°, rake 103°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 6.4 km horizontally, 5.1 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.07
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 29°
Stations used: 73

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 16 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20008tjf (also filed as iscgem610401463). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:26 PM UTC.