Chile earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 114 km SE of Arica, Chile

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 114 km SE of Arica, Chile on Sun, Dec 27, 2020, 10:55 AM GMT-3 (13:55 UTC), 111 km (69 mi) below the surface.

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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, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Sun, Dec 27, 2020, 10:55 AM GMT-3
UTC: 2020-12-27 13:55:20 UTC
Depth: 110.8 km (68.8 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter: 19.079° S, 69.416° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 27
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
5.1	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.068 · 21 stations
5.22	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
5.2	Mwr, regional moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Moment tensor · Reviewed

Did you feel it?

27 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light shaking.

Fault motion and ground failure

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

Faulting: Strike-slip
Moment magnitude: 5.1 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 238°, dip 40°, rake -20°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 343°, dip 77°, rake -128°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 5.8 km horizontally, 4.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.07
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 102°
Stations used: 130

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 2 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 us6000d3g3 (also filed as iscgem619626965). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 2:08 AM UTC.