Chile earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 96 km NW of Vallenar, Chile

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 96 km NW of Vallenar, Chile on Sun, Feb 12, 2017, 1:21 PM GMT-3 (16:21 UTC), 16 km (10 mi) below the surface.

Vallenar 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
5.1 (mww), moderate
Local time
UTC
2017-02-12 16:21:11 UTC
Depth
16.2 km (10.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter
27.872° S, 71.340° 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
5.1 Mww
Nodal plane 1
Strike 358°, dip 26°, rake 86°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 182°, dip 64°, rake 92°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 5.4 km horizontally, 3.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.09
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
134°
Stations used
164

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us20008jd5 (also filed as iscgem610208521). Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 6:38 AM UTC.