Reviewed by USGSChile98y ago
M5.7 earthquake 23 km NNE of Illapel, Chile
Monday, July 15, 1929, 14:29:46 UTC · 31.425°S, 71.105°W
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck 23 km NNE of Illapel, Chile on Monday, July 15, 1929, 14:29:46 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on April 16, 1929.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
5 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 10 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
148 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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 21 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 · 112 km S of this epicenter
- 7.086 km NW of La Serena, ChileMarch 19, 1904 · 248 km N of this epicenter
- 6.9103 km NNW of Coquimbo, ChileMay 20, 1918 · 262 km N of this epicenter
- 6.972 km WNW of Calingasta, ArgentinaJuly 27, 1917 · 111 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.957 km W of Ovalle, ChileFebruary 15, 1917 · 120 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.8121 km WSW of Coquimbo, ChileNovember 17, 1922 · 173 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.726 km S of Nueve de Julio, ArgentinaDecember 17, 1920 · 260 km E of this epicenter
- 6.7210 km WNW of Valparaíso, ChileDecember 11, 1904 · 265 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 28 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 18,482 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1861
Mendoza, San Luiz
20 Mar 1861 · 266 km away · intensity IX
14,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1906M8.2
South Central
17 Aug 1906 · 194 km away · intensity XI
4,000 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1920M6.7
Mendoza
17 Dec 1920 · 260 km away · intensity VIII
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1822M8.5
Valparaiso, Quillota, Concon, Aconcagua
20 Nov 1822 · 194 km away · intensity XI
72 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1730M9.1
Valparaiso
8 Jul 1730 · 125 km away · intensity XI
5 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1903M6.0
Mendoza
12 Aug 1903 · 204 km away · intensity VIII
3 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.