M5.5 earthquake 122 km NE of Iquique, Chile
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 122 km NE of Iquique, Chile on Mon, Aug 3, 2020, 7:56 AM GMT-4 (11:56 UTC), 102 km (63 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2020-08-03 11:56:52 UTC
- Depth
- 101.6 km (63.1 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 19.590° S, 69.185° W
- Region
- Chile
- Felt reports
- 42
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light shaking
- PAGER alert
- Green
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.054 · 33 stations |
| 5.49 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.5 | Mwb, body-wave moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
| 5.5 | Mwr, regional moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
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
- Peak ground acceleration
- 3.3% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.1 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
42 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light 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 | 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
- Normal
- Moment magnitude
- 5.5 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 180°, dip 35°, rake -79°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 347°, dip 56°, rake -97°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 5.7 km horizontally, 3.2 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.05
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 42°
- Stations used
- 180
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.5103 km ENE of Iquique, Chile · 2240 days ago · 99 km deep · 39 km away · felt by 1
- 4.085 km NE of Iquique, Chile · 2234 days ago · 100 km deep · 45 km away · felt by 7
- 4.334 km NE of Iquique, Chile · 2226 days ago · 61 km deep · 88 km away · felt by 21
- 4.5Tarapaca, Chile · 2194 days ago · 106 km deep · 24 km away
Before
- 3.954 km NNE of Iquique, Chile · 2253 days ago · 31 km deep · 75 km away · felt by 12
- 4.1102 km ESE of Iquique, Chile · 2262 days ago · 114 km deep · 94 km away · felt by 1
- 4.3107 km SE of Arica, Chile · 2265 days ago · 103 km deep · 64 km away · felt by 6
- 4.3105 km SE of Arica, Chile · 2279 days ago · 125 km deep · 68 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000b8pf (also filed as iscgem618707819). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 1:19 AM UTC.