Chile earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 159 km ESE of Iquique, Chile

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 159 km ESE of Iquique, Chile on Fri, May 21, 2021, 2:05 PM GMT-4 (18:05 UTC), 104 km (65 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.2 150 km E of Iquique, Chile. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.2 (mb, body-wave), light
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2021-05-21 18:05:37 UTC
Depth
104.3 km (64.8 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
20.945° S, 68.831° W
Region
Chile
Felt reports
1
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

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

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 6.7 km horizontally, 7.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.17
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
90°
Stations used
34

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 18 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.292 km E of Iquique, Chile · 1956 days ago · 110 km deep · 90 km away · felt by 5
  2. 4.2101 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 1953 days ago · 149 km deep · 91 km away
  3. 4.083 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 1949 days ago · 139 km deep · 90 km away
  4. 4.3134 km N of Calama, Chile · 1949 days ago · 111 km deep · 34 km away
  5. 4.1130 km N of Calama, Chile · 1945 days ago · 129 km deep · 38 km away
  6. 4.5153 km ESE of Iquique, Chile · 1939 days ago · 118 km deep · 13 km away · felt by 2
  7. 4.2Chile-Bolivia border region · 1931 days ago · 135 km deep · 69 km away
  8. 4.398 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 1925 days ago · 111 km deep · 89 km away
  9. 4.3134 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 1923 days ago · 110 km deep · 64 km away
  10. 4.0138 km N of Calama, Chile · 1920 days ago · 117 km deep · 34 km away
  11. 4.0150 km ESE of Iquique, Chile · 1918 days ago · 107 km deep · 9 km away
  12. 4.0119 km N of Calama, Chile · 1918 days ago · 126 km deep · 51 km away
  13. 4.3102 km E of Iquique, Chile · 1917 days ago · 92 km deep · 93 km away · felt by 11
  14. 4.7147 km N of Calama, Chile · 1913 days ago · 118 km deep · 25 km away · felt by 1
  15. 5.2150 km E of Iquique, Chile · 1912 days ago · 108 km deep · 70 km away · felt by 38
  16. 4.391 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 1906 days ago · 129 km deep · 91 km away · felt by 1
  17. 4.690 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 1904 days ago · 147 km deep · 90 km away
  18. 4.3132 km E of Iquique, Chile · 1902 days ago · 110 km deep · 58 km away · felt by 2

Before

  1. 4.1144 km N of Calama, Chile · 1964 days ago · 123 km deep · 24 km away
  2. 4.7130 km N of Calama, Chile · 1965 days ago · 119 km deep · 37 km away · felt by 11
  3. 4.296 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 1968 days ago · 138 km deep · 86 km away · felt by 1
  4. 4.3108 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 1970 days ago · 143 km deep · 77 km away · felt by 1
  5. 3.898 km E of Iquique, Chile · 1970 days ago · 85 km deep · 90 km away · felt by 2
  6. 4.4140 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 1975 days ago · 106 km deep · 51 km away · felt by 1
  7. 4.2158 km ESE of Iquique, Chile · 1984 days ago · 104 km deep · 4 km away · felt by 2
  8. 4.183 km NNE of Calama, Chile · 1989 days ago · 118 km deep · 94 km away · felt by 1

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000e54q. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 6:09 PM UTC.