Reviewed by USGSChile59y ago
M6.4 earthquake 60 km NNW of Tocopilla, Chile
Monday, December 25, 1967, 10:41:33 UTC · 21.563°S, 70.329°W
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 60 km NNW of Tocopilla, Chile on Monday, December 25, 1967, 10:41:33 UTC, at a depth of 49.1 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on December 21, 1967.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 49 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
52 kilotons of TNT
That is about 3 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 110 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
4 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
49 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 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 51 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 52 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.334 km S of Iquique, ChileFebruary 23, 1933 · 117 km N of this epicenter
- 7.2Near the coast of Tarapaca, ChileOctober 4, 1940 · 177 km N of this epicenter
- 7.1136 km E of Iquique, ChileJune 14, 1959 · 199 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.064 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileNovember 20, 1928 · 179 km S of this epicenter
- 6.9119 km W of Iquique, ChileSeptember 15, 1911 · 183 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.9181 km W of Iquique, ChileAugust 25, 1916 · 225 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.987 km NNW of Iquique, ChileDecember 26, 1906 · 226 km N 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 2,390 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 19 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1953M7.4
Northern
7 Dec 1953 · 178 km away
3 deaths$7 million damage
- 1967M7.5
Northern
21 Dec 1967 · 87 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1959M7.5
Bolivia-Northern Chile
14 Jun 1959 · 276 km away
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1878M7.9
Tarapaca
23 Jan 1878 · 183 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1871M7.3
Chile
5 Oct 1871 · 152 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.