Chile earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 54 km W of Ovalle, Chile

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 54 km W of Ovalle, Chile on Sun, Dec 27, 2020, 5:48 PM GMT-3 (20:48 UTC), 36 km (22 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.1 51 km SSW of Ovalle, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Ovalle 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
4.2 (Mwr, regional moment), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2020-12-27 20:48:36 UTC
Depth
36.0 km (22.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
30.697° S, 71.752° W
Region
Chile
Felt reports
3
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

3 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was VI, strong shaking.

Did You Feel It? map: shaking reported by the public
Shaking reported by the public, by area. Map: USGS Did You Feel It?

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
4.2 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 162°, dip 49°, rake 106°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 318°, dip 43°, rake 72°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 5.5 km horizontally, 5.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.04
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
116°
Stations used
39

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.531 km SSW of Ovalle, Chile · 2098 days ago · 38 km deep · 42 km away
  2. 5.151 km SSW of Ovalle, Chile · 2085 days ago · 59 km deep · 52 km away · felt by 17
  3. 4.933 km SW of Coquimbo, Chile · 2083 days ago · 33 km deep · 63 km away · felt by 2
  4. 3.854 km W of Ovalle, Chile · 2078 days ago · 30 km deep · 13 km away
  5. 4.111 km NW of Coquimbo, Chile · 2059 days ago · 36 km deep · 95 km away
  6. 4.528 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile · 2058 days ago · 42 km deep · 28 km away · felt by 6

Before

  1. 4.5102 km WNW of Illapel, Chile · 2108 days ago · 21 km deep · 85 km away · felt by 1
  2. 4.324 km SW of Ovalle, Chile · 2116 days ago · 54 km deep · 35 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000d3hy. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 1:31 PM UTC.