Chile earthquakes

M5.6 earthquake 45 km W of Valparaíso, Chile

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 45 km W of Valparaíso, Chile on Sun, Apr 23, 2017, 4:40 PM GMT-3 (19:40 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.9 40 km W of Valparaíso, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Valparaíso 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: 5.6 (mww), moderate
Local time: Sun, Apr 23, 2017, 4:40 PM GMT-3
UTC: 2017-04-23 19:40:10 UTC
Depth: 20.0 km (12.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 33.015° S, 72.115° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 60
Strongest shaking: IV, light shaking
PAGER alert: Green
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: IV, light shaking
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

60 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was VII, very strong shaking.

Estimated impact

The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.

Alert level: Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected

Deaths: estimated chance of each range
Range	Chance
Under 1	65%
1 to 10	30%
10 to 100	4%
100 to 1,000	Under 1%
1,000 to 10,000	Under 1%
10,000 to 100,000	Under 1%
100,000 to 10,000,000	Under 1%

Economic losses: estimated chance of each range
Range, million USD	Chance
Under 1	65%
1 to 10	30%
10 to 100	4%
100 to 1,000	Under 1%
1,000 to 10,000	Under 1%
10,000 to 100,000	Under 1%
100,000 to 10,000,000	Under 1%

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: 5.6 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 1°, dip 12°, rake 88°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 183°, dip 78°, rake 90°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 3.7 km horizontally, 1.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.06
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 61°
Stations used: 197

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 123 in the 60 days after this one and 15 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 123.

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us10008k2i (also filed as iscgem611833510). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 2:49 PM UTC.