Reviewed by USGSChile76y ago
M8.2 earthquake 121 km SSE of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Saturday, December 9, 1950, 21:38:51 UTC · 23.977°S, 67.912°W
A magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck 121 km SSE of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile on Saturday, December 9, 1950, 21:38:51 UTC, at a depth of 113.9 km (intermediate). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 8.2
- Great · mw
- Depth
- 114 km
- Intermediate
- 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
30 megatons of TNT
That is about 1,998 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 63,096 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
274 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: intermediate
114 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 400 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 400 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 15 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 242 km W of this epicenter
- 7.187 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 8, 1942 · 220 km W of this epicenter
- 7.064 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileNovember 20, 1928 · 237 km W of this epicenter
- 6.881 km WSW of Calama, ChileDecember 23, 1916 · 222 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.679 km SSW of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 26, 1936 · 292 km W of this epicenter
- 6.363 km ESE of Taltal, ChileApril 26, 1932 · 265 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.221 km NW of Antofagasta, ChileJanuary 1, 1926 · 272 km W of this epicenter
- 6.276 km S of Antofagasta, ChileJanuary 21, 1947 · 244 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 33 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1930M6.1
La Poma
24 Dec 1930 · 281 km away · intensity VIII
31 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 220 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1950M8.0
Chile-Argentina
9 Dec 1950 · 68 km away · intensity VII
1 death
- 1844M6.5
Salta, Jujuy, Tucuman
19 Oct 1844 · 224 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1863
Jujuy
14 Jan 1863 · 299 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1836M7.5
Cobija
3 Jul 1836 · 288 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.