Reviewed by USGSChile69y ago
M6.8 earthquake 62 km ESE of Puente Alto, Chile
Thursday, September 4, 1958, 21:51:16 UTC · 33.832°S, 69.958°W
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 62 km ESE of Puente Alto, Chile on Thursday, September 4, 1958, 21:51:16 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on June 11, 1952.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
247 kilotons of TNT
That is about 16 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 519 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
273 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
15 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 30 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.2The 1906 Valparaiso, Chile EarthquakeAugust 17, 1906 · 208 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.730 km NNE of Constitución, ChileDecember 1, 1928 · 253 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.237 km S of San Antonio, ChileMarch 18, 1931 · 148 km W of this epicenter
- 6.94 km ESE of Chimbas, ArgentinaJanuary 15, 1944 · 294 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.88 km W of Nueve de Julio, ArgentinaJune 11, 1952 · 277 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.726 km S of Nueve de Julio, ArgentinaDecember 17, 1920 · 258 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.764 km ESE of San Rafael, ArgentinaMay 30, 1929 · 237 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.631 km NNW of La Ligua, ChileNovember 29, 1932 · 224 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 32 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 28,804 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1861
Mendoza, San Luiz
20 Mar 1861 · 157 km away · intensity IX
14,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1944M6.9
San Juan Province
15 Jan 1944 · 294 km away · intensity IX
10,000 deaths$100 million damage
- 1906M8.2
South Central
17 Aug 1906 · 211 km away · intensity XI
4,000 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1920M6.7
Mendoza
17 Dec 1920 · 258 km away · intensity VIII
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1928M7.6
Talca, Chillan, Santiago, San Fernando
1 Dec 1928 · 228 km away · intensity IX
279 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1822M8.5
Valparaiso, Quillota, Concon, Aconcagua
20 Nov 1822 · 211 km away · intensity XI
72 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.