Reviewed by USGSChile10y ago
M4.6 earthquake in Near the coast of Coquimbo, Chile
Wednesday, February 24, 2016, 19:09:57 UTC · 29.929°S, 71.834°W
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck in Near the coast of Coquimbo, Chile on Wednesday, February 24, 2016, 19:09:57 UTC, at a depth of 15.2 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.6 on February 24, 2016.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Max intensity I
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
72 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 50 km
USGS lists 5 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.1 on March 12, 2016. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.555 km SW of Coquimbo, Chile10y ago · 47 km S of this epicenter
- 4.564 km WSW of Coquimbo, Chile10y ago · 30 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.144 km SW of Coquimbo, Chile10y ago · 40 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.218 km SW of Coquimbo, Chile10y ago · 38 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.366 km W of Coquimbo, Chile10y ago · 20 km W of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 645 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 · 265 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.348 km W of Illapel, ChileSeptember 16, 2015 · 183 km S of this epicenter
- 8.2The 1906 Valparaiso, Chile EarthquakeAugust 17, 1906 · 278 km S of this epicenter
- 8.145 km NNW of Illapel, ChileApril 6, 1943 · 155 km S of this epicenter
- 7.47 km SSE of La Ligua, ChileMarch 28, 1965 · 294 km S of this epicenter
- 7.136 km SW of Monte Patria, ChileOctober 15, 1997 · 126 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.086 km NW of La Serena, ChileMarch 19, 1904 · 75 km N of this epicenter
- 7.025 km WNW of Illapel, ChileSeptember 16, 2015 · 186 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 37 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,227 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1922M8.5
Atacama
11 Nov 1922 · 265 km away · intensity XI
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1965M7.3
Central
28 Mar 1965 · 281 km away
400 deaths$125 million damage
- 1971M7.8
Central
9 Jul 1971 · 292 km away · intensity IX
83 deaths$236 million damagetsunami
- 2015M8.3
Central
16 Sep 2015 · 183 km away · intensity IX
15 deaths$600 million damagetsunami
- 1943M8.2
Illapel
6 Apr 1943 · 93 km away
11 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1997M7.1
Pueblo Nuevo, Coquimbo, La Chimba
15 Oct 1997 · 126 km away
8 deaths$48 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.