May 20, 1918 Earthquake: Northern, Chile
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Northern, Chile on May 20, 1918 at 17:55:10 UTC, 80 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- May 20, 1918
- Time
- 17:55:10 UTC
- Place
- Northern, Chile
- Magnitude
- 7.9 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 80 km (50 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 28.500° S, 71.500° W
- Country
- Chile
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this earthquake.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
May 20, 1918, 17:55:10 UTC, 28.5 S, 71.5 W, depth 80 km, magnitude 7.9 MS. (reference #88)
May 20, 1918, 17:55:10 UTC, 28.5 S, 71.5 S, depth 80 km, magnitude 7.5 MS. (reference #1206)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- November 11, 1922, Atacama, Chile
- October 5, 1859, Chile
- March 13, 1975, Coquimbo, LA Serena, Chile
- January 20, 2019, Coquimbo, LA Serena, Chile
- April 19, 1955, Chile
- April 25, 1833, Chile
- May 4, 1923, Vallenar, Chile
- November 15, 1967, Northern, Chile
- November 1, 1995, Near Central Coast, Chile
- December 7, 1903, Vallenar, Freirina, Chile
- December 29, 1930, Northern, Chile
- November 7, 1922, Northern, Chile
- December 9, 1926, Vallenar, Chile
- November 11, 2015, La Serena, Chile
- April 1, 2002, Coquimbo, LA Serena, Ovalle, Central, Chile
More
Significant earthquakes of 1918The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1918Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 3112.