M5.6 earthquake 21 km N of Tocopilla, Chile
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 21 km N of Tocopilla, Chile on Thu, Dec 21, 2023, 1:21 PM GMT-3 (16:21 UTC), 62 km (38 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 2023-12-21 16:21:52 UTC
- Depth
- 61.7 km (38.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 21.900° S, 70.159° W
- Region
- Chile
- Felt reports
- 21
- Strongest shaking
- VI, strong 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.6 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.058 · 29 stations |
| 6.0 | mb, body-wave | NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center | First automatic solution · Reviewed · 5 stations |
| 5.7 | Mwr, regional moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
| 5.7 | Mww, W-phase moment | USGS, automatic first solution | First automatic solution · Preliminary |
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VI, strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 6.1% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 2.0 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
21 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was VI, strong 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 | 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
- Oblique normal
- Moment magnitude
- 5.6 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 152°, dip 50°, rake -142°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 35°, dip 62°, rake -47°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 4.7 km horizontally, 3.3 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.06
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 51°
- Stations used
- 271
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.6 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
Before
Earthquakes todayChile earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000lkpg (also filed as usauto7000lkpg, at00s60ysf). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 9:01 PM UTC.