Chile earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 41 km NE of Calama, Chile

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 41 km NE of Calama, Chile on Wed, Jan 24, 2024, 5:05 AM GMT-3 (08:05 UTC), 113 km (70 mi) below the surface.

Calama forecast More in Chile

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.3 (Mww, W-phase moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Wed, Jan 24, 2024, 5:05 AM GMT-3
UTC: 2024-01-24 08:05:10 UTC
Depth: 113.1 km (70.3 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter: 22.187° S, 68.646° W
Region: Chile
Felt reports: 1
Strongest shaking: IV, light shaking
PAGER alert: Green
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: IV, light shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 1.4% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 0.6 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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?

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

Deaths: estimated chance of each range
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%

Economic losses: estimated chance of each range
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%

Fault motion and ground failure

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

Faulting: Strike-slip
Moment magnitude: 5.3 Mww
Nodal plane 1: Strike 278°, dip 5°, rake 18°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 169°, dip 88°, rake 95°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 5.2 km horizontally, 4.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.05
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 38°
Stations used: 99

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 18 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Chile earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us7000ltf3. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 9:13 AM UTC.