Chile earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 117 km NW of Vallenar, Chile

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 117 km NW of Vallenar, Chile on Sun, Nov 22, 2020, 7:42 AM GMT-3 (10:42 UTC), 21 km (13 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.3 122 km NW of Vallenar, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Caldera 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
2020-11-22 10:42:24 UTC
Depth
20.6 km (12.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
27.738° S, 71.497° W
Region
Chile
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Fault motion and ground failure

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

Faulting
Oblique reverse
Moment magnitude
4.2 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 228°, dip 56°, rake 124°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 357°, dip 47°, rake 51°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 4.5 km horizontally, 6.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.06
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
149°
Stations used
45

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 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.3122 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2135 days ago · 10 km deep · 5 km away
  2. 3.968 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2127 days ago · 30 km deep · 56 km away
  3. 4.283 km WNW of Vallenar, Chile · 2126 days ago · 26 km deep · 53 km away
  4. 4.392 km WNW of Vallenar, Chile · 2124 days ago · 18 km deep · 46 km away · felt by 1
  5. 4.066 km WNW of Vallenar, Chile · 2122 days ago · 29 km deep · 64 km away · felt by 1
  6. 3.9170 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2096 days ago · 10 km deep · 60 km away

Before

  1. 4.837 km WNW of Vallenar, Chile · 2146 days ago · 43 km deep · 86 km away · felt by 3
  2. 4.250 km WSW of Copiapó, Chile · 2152 days ago · 48 km deep · 72 km away
  3. 4.180 km WSW of Copiapó, Chile · 2154 days ago · 28 km deep · 48 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000crfw. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 11:52 AM UTC.