Reviewed by USGSChile105y ago
M7.0 earthquake 118 km WNW of Vallenar, Chile
Tuesday, November 7, 1922, 23:00:17 UTC · 28.369°S, 71.942°W
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 118 km WNW of Vallenar, Chile on Tuesday, November 7, 1922, 23:00:17 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.0 on December 4, 1918.
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 25 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
461 kilotons of TNT
That is about 31 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 966 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
24 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
25 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 M6.7 on November 11, 1922. 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 8 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 · 247 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.550 km WNW of Diego de Almagro, ChileJune 8, 1909 · 284 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.086 km NW of La Serena, ChileMarch 19, 1904 · 101 km S of this epicenter
- 6.9103 km NNW of Coquimbo, ChileMay 20, 1918 · 90 km S of this epicenter
- 6.957 km W of Ovalle, ChileFebruary 15, 1917 · 240 km S of this epicenter
- 6.936 km W of Copiapó, ChileSeptember 6, 1910 · 161 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.472 km WNW of Diego de Almagro, ChileJanuary 5, 1919 · 288 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.3137 km WNW of Coquimbo, ChileNovember 28, 1906 · 152 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 19 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 710 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1922M8.5
Atacama
11 Nov 1922 · 205 km away · intensity XI
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1859M7.6
Chile
5 Oct 1859 · 193 km away · intensity X
10 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 1819M8.5
Copiapo
12 Apr 1819 · 158 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1819M8.0
Copiapo
4 Apr 1819 · 194 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1918M7.8
Copiapo
4 Dec 1918 · 279 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1819M8.0
Copiapo
3 Apr 1819 · 194 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.