August 2, 1946 Earthquake: Northern, Chile

Name: August 2, 1946 Earthquake: Northern, Chile
Start: 1946-08-02
Location: Northern, Chile

August 2, 1946 · M7.9 · 2 deaths

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Northern, Chile on August 2, 1946 at 19:18:48 UTC, 60 km below the surface. It killed 2 people.

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: August 2, 1946
Time: 19:18:48 UTC
Place: Northern, Chile
Magnitude: 7.9 (Ms)
Focal depth: 60 km (37 mi)
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 26.500° S, 70.500° W
Country: Chile

The toll

Deaths: 2
Damage: Severe (about $5 to $25 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

August 2, 1946, 19:18:48 UTC, 26.5 S, 70.5 W, magnitude 7.9 MS, depth 60 km. (reference #88)

August 2, 1946, 19:18:48 UTC, 26.5 S, 70.5 W, magnitude 7.5 MS, depth 50 km, casualties. (reference #1206)

August 2, 1946, 19:18.9 UTC, 26.5 S, 71.5 W, magnitude 7.5 MS, depth 100 km. Two people killed and extensive property damage in northern Chile. (reference #45)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1946 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1946 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 3827.