QuakeScout
Magnitude6.8

Reviewed by USGSChile11y ago

M6.8 earthquake 39 km SW of Ovalle, Chile

Saturday, November 7, 2015, 07:31:43 UTC · 30.880°S, 71.452°W

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 39 km SW of Ovalle, Chile on Saturday, November 7, 2015, 07:31:43 UTC, at a depth of 46.0 km (shallow). USGS received 180 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of VII (very strong). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on September 16, 2015.

Tsunami flagUSGS sets this flag for large events in oceanic regions so tsunami warning centers review them. It does not by itself mean a tsunami occurred. Check tsunami.gov and local authorities for official messages.

Magnitude
6.8
Strong · mww
Depth
46 km
Shallow
Felt reports
180
Max intensity VII
Est. shaking
VII
Very strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert
Green
Impact estimate
Tsunami
Flag
Check tsunami.gov

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

239 kilotons of TNT

That is about 16 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 501 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

111 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

46 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

Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.

PlaceIntensityReportsDistance
Santiago, Metropolitana, ChileIV · Light72299 km
Mendoza, Mendoza, ArgentinaIV · Light14336 km
Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, ChileIV · Light13240 km
La Serena, Coquimbo, ChileV · Moderate12119 km
Ovalle, Coquimbo, ChileVII · Very strong961 km
Quilpué, Valparaíso, ChileIV · Light6243 km
Coquimbo, Coquimbo, ChileV · Moderate5112 km
San Bernardo, Metropolitana, ChileV · Moderate4313 km
Vallenar, Atacama, ChileIII · Weak4268 km
Copiapó, Atacama, ChileIV · Light3407 km
Valparaíso, Valparaíso, ChileIV · Light3244 km
La Rioja, La Rioja, ArgentinaIII · Weak3474 km
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 populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.

After the main event

Aftershocks within 100 km

USGS lists 53 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.8 on November 21, 2015. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M4M5M6M71h6h1d3d7d14d30dMainshock M6.8
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 4.471 km WNW of Illapel, Chile10y ago · 78 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 4.042 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile10y ago · 28 km NW of this epicenter
  3. 4.433 km SW of Ovalle, Chile10y ago · 12 km N of this epicenter
  4. 4.288 km W of Ovalle, Chile10y ago · 74 km NW of this epicenter
  5. 4.4111 km W of Ovalle, Chile10y ago · 97 km NW of this epicenter
  6. 4.277 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile10y ago · 47 km W of this epicenter
  7. 4.277 km W of Illapel, Chile10y ago · 96 km SW of this epicenter
  8. 4.289 km W of Ovalle, Chile10y ago · 79 km NW of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 755 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.348 km W of Illapel, ChileSeptember 16, 2015 · 80 km S of this epicenter
  2. 8.2The 1906 Valparaiso, Chile EarthquakeAugust 17, 1906 · 169 km S of this epicenter
  3. 8.145 km NNW of Illapel, ChileApril 6, 1943 · 43 km S of this epicenter
  4. 8.025 km WSW of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 3, 1985 · 254 km S of this epicenter
  5. 7.819 km NNE of Hacienda La Calera, ChileJuly 9, 1971 · 195 km S of this epicenter
  6. 7.47 km SSE of La Ligua, ChileMarch 28, 1965 · 183 km S of this epicenter
  7. 7.419 km S of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 4, 1985 · 260 km S of this epicenter
  8. 7.2135 km W of Valparaíso, ChileOctober 16, 1981 · 294 km SW of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 54 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 14,791 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1944M6.9

    San Juan Province

    15 Jan 1944 · 290 km away · intensity IX

    10,000 deaths$100 million damage

  2. 1906M8.2

    South Central

    17 Aug 1906 · 241 km away · intensity XI

    4,000 deaths$100 million damagetsunami

  3. 1965M7.3

    Central

    28 Mar 1965 · 171 km away

    400 deaths$125 million damage

  4. 1985M8.0

    Central Coast, San Antonio, Valparaiso

    3 Mar 1985 · 252 km away · intensity VIII

    180 deaths$1.5 billion damagetsunami

  5. 1971M7.8

    Central

    9 Jul 1971 · 182 km away · intensity IX

    83 deaths$236 million damagetsunami

  6. 1822M8.5

    Valparaiso, Quillota, Concon, Aconcagua

    20 Nov 1822 · 241 km away · intensity XI

    72 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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