Significant earthquakes of 1995

July 30, 1995 Earthquake: Antofagasta, Calama, Mejillones, Chile

July 30, 1995 · M8 · 3 deaths · $1.8 million · 115 houses destroyed

A magnitude 8 earthquake struck Antofagasta, Calama, Mejillones, Chile on July 30, 1995 at 05:11:23 UTC, 46 km below the surface. It killed 3 people, counting the tsunami it caused.

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
July 30, 1995
Time
05:11:23 UTC
Place
Antofagasta, Calama, Mejillones, Chile
Magnitude
8 (Mw)
Focal depth
46 km (29 mi)
Intensity
7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Epicenter
23.340° S, 70.294° W
Country
Chile

The toll

Deaths
3
Injuries
58
Damage
$1.7 million; $1.8 million with its tsunami and other effects
Houses destroyed
115

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.

Three people killed, 58 injured, 630 homeless and 115

houses destroyed (VII) in the Antofagasta area. Landslides blocked several roads in the Antofagasta area. One person injured at Mejillones. Several houses damaged at Calama, Mejillones, San Pedro de Atacama, Taltal and Tocopilla. Felt (VI) at Baquedano, Chuquicamata, Copiapo, Diego de Almagro, Inca de Oro, Iquique, Mejillones, Peine, Sierra Gorda, Taltal, Tierra Amarilla and Tocopilla; (V) at Chanaral, El

Salvador, Huasco and Vallenar; (IV) at Arica, Caldera and La Serena. Felt in Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Jujuy, La Rioja, Mendoza, Salta and San Juan Provinces and as far away as Buenos Aires, Argentina. Also felt in southern Peru and (III) at La Paz, Bolivia. A tsunami was generated. (Reference #1053)Reference #1250 lists damage at $1.66 million.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1995The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1995Recent 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 5416.