M5.6 earthquake 68 km NNW of La Serena, Chile
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 68 km NNW of La Serena, Chile on Thu, Apr 18, 2019, 12:06 AM GMT-4 (04:06 UTC), 54 km (34 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.4 72 km W of Coquimbo, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2019-04-18 04:06:34 UTC
- Depth
- 54.0 km (33.6 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 29.365° S, 71.589° W
- Region
- Chile
- Felt reports
- 30
- Strongest shaking
- V, moderate 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
- V, moderate shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 8.8% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.0 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
30 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was V, moderate 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
| 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% |
| Range, million USD | Chance |
|---|---|
| Under 1 | 68% |
| 1 to 10 | 30% |
| 10 to 100 | 2% |
| 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
- Normal
- Moment magnitude
- 5.6 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 164°, dip 17°, rake -100°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 354°, dip 73°, rake -87°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 5.3 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.07
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 37°
- Stations used
- 177
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.635 km NNW of Coquimbo, Chile · 2714 days ago · 41 km deep · 34 km away
- 4.033 km WSW of Coquimbo, Chile · 2711 days ago · 19 km deep · 77 km away
- 4.131 km NW of Coquimbo, Chile · 2705 days ago · 34 km deep · 47 km away
- 4.426 km NNW of La Serena, Chile · 2677 days ago · 46 km deep · 42 km away
- 4.339 km WSW of Vallenar, Chile · 2665 days ago · 60 km deep · 84 km away
- 6.472 km W of Coquimbo, Chile · 2665 days ago · 11 km deep · 90 km away · felt by 34
- 4.579 km WSW of Coquimbo, Chile · 2665 days ago · 10 km deep · 100 km away · felt by 1
- 4.473 km W of Coquimbo, Chile · 2665 days ago · 12 km deep · 90 km away · felt by 1
- 4.471 km W of Coquimbo, Chile · 2663 days ago · 10 km deep · 81 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us700038b8 (also filed as iscgem615410468). Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 8:14 PM UTC.