December 26, 1948 Earthquake: Antofagasta, Chile

Name: December 26, 1948 Earthquake: Antofagasta, Chile
Start: 1948-12-26
Location: Antofagasta, Chile

December 26, 1948 · M7

A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Antofagasta, Chile on December 26, 1948 at 07:12:21 UTC, 100 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: December 26, 1948
Time: 07:12:21 UTC
Place: Antofagasta, Chile
Magnitude: 7 (Ms)
Focal depth: 100 km (62 mi)
Intensity: 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 22.500° S, 69.000° 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.

December 26, 1948, 07:12:21 UTC, 22.5 S, 69 W, magnitude 7 MS, depth 100 km. There was an earthquake felt along the coast of Chile between 22 deg and 23 deg; it had an intensity of 7 degrees. At Antofagasta, the intensity was 5-6 degrees, at Copiapo 4 degrees. The earthquake was felt in a radius of 450 km. There was a tsunami at Tocopilla.

(reference #415)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1948 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1948 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 6357.