Reviewed by USGSChile101y ago
M6.3 earthquake 210 km WNW of Constitución, Chile
Monday, September 6, 1926, 00:16:26 UTC · 34.669°S, 74.572°W
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 210 km WNW of Constitución, Chile on Monday, September 6, 1926, 00:16:26 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.7 on January 30, 1914.
- Magnitude
- 6.3
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
44 kilotons of TNT
That is about 3 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 92 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
85 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
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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.8 on September 6, 1926. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 4 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.7103 km NW of Constitución, ChileJanuary 30, 1914 · 116 km E of this epicenter
- 6.7210 km WNW of Valparaíso, ChileDecember 11, 1904 · 274 km N of this epicenter
- 6.1187 km NW of Constitución, ChileMay 21, 1922 · 94 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.022 km S of Constitución, ChileAugust 11, 1925 · 221 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 59 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1835M8.2
Concepcion
20 Feb 1835 · 278 km away · intensity XI
53 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1898M6.5
Concepcion
23 Jul 1898 · 278 km away · intensity VIII
6 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1871M7.5
Central
25 Mar 1871 · 193 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1914M7.6
Off Central Coast
30 Jan 1914 · 148 km away
- 1742
Concepcion
23 Mar 1742 · 276 km away
tsunami
- 1838
Central
7 May 1838 · 262 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.