Reviewed by USGSChile100y ago
M5.5 earthquake 69 km E of Taltal, Chile
Monday, March 14, 1927, 07:43:09 UTC · 25.469°S, 69.801°W
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 69 km E of Taltal, Chile on Monday, March 14, 1927, 07:43:09 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on January 1, 1926.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/6 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
177 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
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 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 11 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 · 139 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.550 km WNW of Diego de Almagro, ChileJune 8, 1909 · 104 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.032 km NW of Fiambalá, ArgentinaAugust 3, 1920 · 295 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.9178 km W of Taltal, ChileMay 24, 1913 · 246 km W of this epicenter
- 6.936 km W of Copiapó, ChileSeptember 6, 1910 · 235 km S of this epicenter
- 6.697 km SW of Antofagasta, ChileAugust 5, 1907 · 170 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.472 km WNW of Diego de Almagro, ChileJanuary 5, 1919 · 108 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.485 km SW of Antofagasta de la Sierra, ArgentinaDecember 4, 1918 · 235 km SE 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 10 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1859M7.6
Chile
5 Oct 1859 · 216 km away · intensity X
10 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 1819M8.5
Copiapo
12 Apr 1819 · 240 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1819M8.0
Copiapo
4 Apr 1819 · 220 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1918M7.8
Copiapo
4 Dec 1918 · 134 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1819M8.0
Copiapo
3 Apr 1819 · 220 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1796M7.7
Copiapo, Vallenar, Huasco, Coquimbo
30 Mar 1796 · 216 km away · intensity XI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.