M5.7 earthquake 46 km WSW of Taltal, Chile
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 46 km WSW of Taltal, Chile on Wed, Oct 21, 2020, 6:13 AM GMT-3 (09:13 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.7 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2020-10-21 09:13:06 UTC
- Depth
- 20.0 km (12.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 25.523° S, 70.932° W
- Region
- Chile
- Strongest shaking
- V, moderate 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.7 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.053 · 34 stations |
| 5.76 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.6 | Mwb, body-wave moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
| 5.6 | 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
- V, moderate shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 6.7% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.8 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
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
- Reverse (thrust)
- Moment magnitude
- 5.7 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 14°, dip 33°, rake 109°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 172°, dip 59°, rake 78°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 5.1 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.05
- Depth from
- From modeling of broad-band P waveforms
- Station coverage gap
- 101°
- Stations used
- 134
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.7 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.356 km W of Taltal, Chile · 2173 days ago · 8 km deep · 12 km away
- 4.413 km ESE of Taltal, Chile · 2159 days ago · 37 km deep · 58 km away
- 4.365 km SW of Taltal, Chile · 2132 days ago · 20 km deep · 38 km away
- 4.365 km WSW of Taltal, Chile · 2119 days ago · 15 km deep · 21 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000caj9 (also filed as iscgem619500649). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 2:44 PM UTC.