August 3, 1978 Earthquake: Copiapo-Taltai, Northern, Chile

Date

August 3, 1978

Time

18:11:17 UTC

Place

Copiapo-Taltai, Northern, Chile

Magnitude

7 (mb)

Focal depth

58 km (36 mi)

Intensity

9 on the Modified Mercalli scale

Tsunami

None recorded

Epicenter

26.510° S, 70.540° W

Country

Chile

Injuries

13

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.

• October 5, 1859, ChileM7.6 · 10 deaths · 339 houses destroyed · 95 km
• October 4, 1983, Copoapo-Chanaral, Northern, ChileM7.3 · 5 deaths · $1 million · 40 houses destroyed · 4 km
• December 28, 1966, Taltal, Catalina, ChileM7.8 · 3 deaths · $400,000 · 113 km
• August 2, 1946, Northern, ChileM7.9 · 2 deaths · 4 km
• June 17, 1971, Catalina, Antofagasta, ChileM6.3 · 1 death · 175 km
• June 8, 1909, ChileM7.6 · 4 km
• April 18, 1939, North Central, ChileM7.4 · 55 km
• December 4, 1918, Copiapo, ChileM7.8 · Deaths: few · 73 km
• February 23, 1965, Northern, ChileM7 · 94 km
• March 30, 1796, Copiapo, Vallenar, Huasco, Coquimbo, ChileM7.7 · Deaths: few · 95 km
• August 24, 1798, Copiapo, Chile95 km
• March 13, 1846, Coiapo, Chile95 km
• May 26, 1851, Copiapo, ChileM7.2 · 95 km
• April 3, 1819, Copiapo, ChileM8 · 102 km
• April 4, 1819, Copiapo, ChileM8 · Deaths: many · 102 km

Significant earthquakes of 1978The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1978Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

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 4812.