Reviewed by USGSChile105y ago
M6.7 earthquake 92 km NW of Vallenar, Chile
Saturday, November 11, 1922, 18:09:35 UTC · 28.037°S, 71.482°W
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 92 km NW of Vallenar, Chile on Saturday, November 11, 1922, 18:09:35 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.5 on November 11, 1922.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · 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
175 kilotons of TNT
That is about 12 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 367 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
55 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
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 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 11 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.594 km ENE of Vallenar, ChileNovember 11, 1922 · 162 km E of this epicenter
- 8.060 km W of Diego de Almagro, ChileDecember 4, 1918 · 193 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.550 km WNW of Diego de Almagro, ChileJune 8, 1909 · 231 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.086 km NW of La Serena, ChileMarch 19, 1904 · 139 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0118 km WNW of Vallenar, ChileNovember 7, 1922 · 58 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.9103 km NNW of Coquimbo, ChileMay 20, 1918 · 134 km S of this epicenter
- 6.957 km W of Ovalle, ChileFebruary 15, 1917 · 278 km S of this epicenter
- 6.9178 km W of Taltal, ChileMay 24, 1913 · 279 km N 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 · 162 km away · intensity XI
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1859M7.6
Chile
5 Oct 1859 · 135 km away · intensity X
10 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 1819M8.5
Copiapo
12 Apr 1819 · 115 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1819M8.0
Copiapo
4 Apr 1819 · 136 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1918M7.8
Copiapo
4 Dec 1918 · 231 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1819M8.0
Copiapo
3 Apr 1819 · 136 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.