M5.5 earthquake 78 km W of Vallenar, Chile
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 78 km W of Vallenar, Chile on Tue, Dec 14, 2021, 1:23 AM GMT-3 (04:23 UTC), 18 km (11 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mwr, regional moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2021-12-14 04:23:55 UTC
- Depth
- 17.8 km (11.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 28.686° S, 71.555° W
- Region
- Chile
- Felt reports
- 22
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | Mwr, regional moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.53 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.2 |
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
- 12.7% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 1.0 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
22 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light shaking.
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 | 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% |
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 4.2 km horizontally, 3.3 km in depth
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 65°
- Stations used
- 116
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 3.781 km W of Vallenar, Chile · 1754 days ago · 36 km deep · 5 km away · felt by 2
- 4.239 km S of Vallenar, Chile · 1749 days ago · 110 km deep · 83 km away
- 4.141 km NNW of La Serena, Chile · 1747 days ago · 35 km deep · 98 km away · felt by 1
- 4.238 km NNW of La Serena, Chile · 1698 days ago · 47 km deep · 100 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000gc3k (also filed as iscgem621629139). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 9:01 AM UTC.