Reviewed by USGSChile85y ago
M7.1 earthquake 87 km SSE of Antofagasta, Chile
Wednesday, July 8, 1942, 06:55:43 UTC · 24.373°S, 70.040°W
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 87 km SSE of Antofagasta, Chile on Wednesday, July 8, 1942, 06:55:43 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.5 on July 13, 1936.
- Magnitude
- 7.1
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 35 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
587 kilotons of TNT
That is about 39 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,230 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
145 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
35 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 18 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 · 240 km S of this epicenter
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 40 km S of this epicenter
- 7.550 km WNW of Diego de Almagro, ChileJune 8, 1909 · 203 km S of this epicenter
- 7.064 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileNovember 20, 1928 · 135 km N of this epicenter
- 6.9178 km W of Taltal, ChileMay 24, 1913 · 262 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.881 km WSW of Calama, ChileDecember 23, 1916 · 184 km N of this epicenter
- 6.679 km SSW of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 26, 1936 · 74 km W of this epicenter
- 6.697 km SW of Antofagasta, ChileAugust 5, 1907 · 94 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 14 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 15 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1918M7.8
Copiapo
4 Dec 1918 · 205 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1909M7.6
Chile
8 Jun 1909 · 241 km away
tsunami
- 1836M7.5
Cobija
3 Jul 1836 · 199 km away
tsunami
- 1929M7.5
Chile
19 Oct 1929 · 186 km away
- 1939M7.4
North Central
18 Apr 1939 · 296 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.