Reviewed by USGSChile62y ago
M7.0 earthquake 31 km SSW of Taltal, Chile
Tuesday, February 23, 1965, 22:11:48 UTC · 25.659°S, 70.632°W
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 31 km SSW of Taltal, Chile on Tuesday, February 23, 1965, 22:11:48 UTC, at a depth of 41.8 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on December 2, 1960.
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 42 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 kilotons of TNT
That is about 32 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,000 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
97 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
42 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 43 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.060 km W of Diego de Almagro, ChileDecember 4, 1918 · 89 km S of this epicenter
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 115 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.550 km WNW of Diego de Almagro, ChileJune 8, 1909 · 57 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4Atacama, ChileApril 18, 1939 · 175 km S of this epicenter
- 7.377 km NNE of Taltal, ChileDecember 2, 1960 · 108 km N of this epicenter
- 7.187 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 8, 1942 · 155 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.064 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileNovember 20, 1928 · 284 km N of this epicenter
- 6.9178 km W of Taltal, ChileMay 24, 1913 · 162 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 22 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 13 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1859M7.6
Chile
5 Oct 1859 · 190 km away · intensity X
10 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 1946M7.9
Northern
2 Aug 1946 · 94 km away
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 144 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1819M8.5
Copiapo
12 Apr 1819 · 172 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1819M8.0
Copiapo
4 Apr 1819 · 196 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1918M7.8
Copiapo
4 Dec 1918 · 53 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.