M3.8 earthquake 86 km W of Vallenar, Chile
A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 86 km W of Vallenar, Chile on Sat, Oct 14, 2017, 6:43 PM GMT-3 (21:43 UTC), 28 km (17 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.5 52 km NNW of La Serena, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.8 (mwr), minor
- Local time
- UTC
- 2017-10-14 21:43:16 UTC
- Depth
- 27.7 km (17.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 28.722° S, 71.624° 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
- 3.8 Mwr
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 5°, dip 39°, rake 118°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 151°, dip 56°, rake 69°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 5.2 km horizontally, 5.5 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.04
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 143°
- Stations used
- 50
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.552 km NNW of La Serena, Chile · 3246 days ago · 37 km deep · 84 km away · felt by 14
- 4.281 km WNW of Vallenar, Chile · 3244 days ago · 39 km deep · 53 km away
Before
- 4.364 km W of Vallenar, Chile · 3270 days ago · 40 km deep · 22 km away
- 4.224 km NNW of Vallenar, Chile · 3283 days ago · 61 km deep · 86 km away
- 4.250 km N of La Serena, Chile · 3287 days ago · 39 km deep · 87 km away · felt by 8
- 4.261 km WNW of Vallenar, Chile · 3288 days ago · 21 km deep · 50 km away
- 4.458 km WNW of Vallenar, Chile · 3289 days ago · 34 km deep · 60 km away
- 4.694 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 3290 days ago · 32 km deep · 98 km away · felt by 3
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us1000asbr. Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 9:23 AM UTC.