Reviewed by USGSChile59y ago
M7.3 earthquake 34 km NE of Tocopilla, Chile
Thursday, December 21, 1967, 02:25:25 UTC · 21.878°S, 69.956°W
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck 34 km NE of Tocopilla, Chile on Thursday, December 21, 1967, 02:25:25 UTC, at a depth of 45.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.3
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 45 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1.3 megatons of TNT
That is about 89 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2,818 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
42 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
45 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.7 on December 27, 1967. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 56 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.334 km S of Iquique, ChileFebruary 23, 1933 · 153 km N of this epicenter
- 7.2Near the coast of Tarapaca, ChileOctober 4, 1940 · 217 km N of this epicenter
- 7.278 km SW of Colchani, BoliviaOctober 4, 1910 · 281 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1136 km E of Iquique, ChileJune 14, 1959 · 199 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.187 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 8, 1942 · 278 km S of this epicenter
- 7.064 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileNovember 20, 1928 · 143 km S of this epicenter
- 6.9119 km W of Iquique, ChileSeptember 15, 1911 · 234 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.9181 km W of Iquique, ChileAugust 25, 1916 · 277 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 35 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,391 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 70 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1953M7.4
Northern
7 Dec 1953 · 132 km away
3 deaths$7 million damage
- 1967M7.5
Northern
21 Dec 1967 · 51 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 292 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1959M7.5
Bolivia-Northern Chile
14 Jun 1959 · 263 km away
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1878M7.9
Tarapaca
23 Jan 1878 · 221 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.