Chile earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 101 km NW of Vallenar, Chile

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 101 km NW of Vallenar, Chile on Tue, Sep 15, 2020, 2:11 AM GMT-3 (05:11 UTC), 18 km (11 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.9 55 km W of Copiapó, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

Vallenar 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
4.5 (Mwr, regional moment), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2020-09-15 05:11:53 UTC
Depth
17.7 km (11.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter
27.899° S, 71.448° 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
Reverse (thrust)
Moment magnitude
4.5 Mwr
Nodal plane 1
Strike 171°, dip 74°, rake 75°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 37°, dip 22°, rake 133°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 4.3 km horizontally, 2.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.07
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
134°
Stations used
58

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 59 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.462 km WNW of Vallenar, Chile · 2204 days ago · 38 km deep · 63 km away
  2. 4.955 km W of Copiapó, Chile · 2176 days ago · 32 km deep · 86 km away · felt by 1
  3. 4.180 km WSW of Copiapó, Chile · 2155 days ago · 28 km deep · 46 km away
  4. 4.250 km WSW of Copiapó, Chile · 2153 days ago · 48 km deep · 76 km away

Before

  1. 4.3106 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2209 days ago · 17 km deep · 5 km away
  2. 4.176 km W of Vallenar, Chile · 2210 days ago · 38 km deep · 75 km away
  3. 4.583 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2212 days ago · 20 km deep · 23 km away
  4. 4.6116 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2214 days ago · 10 km deep · 17 km away · felt by 1
  5. 4.4111 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2216 days ago · 10 km deep · 29 km away
  6. 4.3103 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2217 days ago · 9 km deep · 8 km away
  7. 4.590 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2218 days ago · 26 km deep · 12 km away
  8. 4.788 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2218 days ago · 19 km deep · 12 km away
  9. 4.4117 km W of Copiapó, Chile · 2218 days ago · 35 km deep · 70 km away
  10. 4.0113 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2219 days ago · 12 km deep · 20 km away
  11. 4.8107 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2219 days ago · 11 km deep · 15 km away
  12. 4.0106 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2220 days ago · 17 km deep · 7 km away
  13. 4.2115 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2220 days ago · 10 km deep · 15 km away
  14. 4.4110 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2220 days ago · 10 km deep · 10 km away
  15. 4.4124 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2220 days ago · 11 km deep · 25 km away
  16. 4.6112 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2221 days ago · 10 km deep · 12 km away
  17. 4.0124 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2221 days ago · 10 km deep · 29 km away
  18. 4.699 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2221 days ago · 10 km deep · 8 km away
  19. 4.4107 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2222 days ago · 10 km deep · 11 km away
  20. 4.2117 km NW of Vallenar, Chile · 2222 days ago · 11 km deep · 18 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000bned. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 8:12 AM UTC.