Reviewed by USGSChile10y ago
M4.4 earthquake 28 km NW of Ovalle, Chile
Friday, May 6, 2016, 08:51:32 UTC · 30.414°S, 71.402°W
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 28 km NW of Ovalle, Chile on Friday, May 6, 2016, 08:51:32 UTC, at a depth of 49.5 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 4.4
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 50 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
60 tons of TNT
That is about 1/251 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 8 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
116 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
50 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 7 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.4 on May 11, 2016. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 3.930 km WSW of Coquimbo, Chile10y ago · 46 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.146 km W of Ovalle, Chile10y ago · 35 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.625 km WSW of Ovalle, Chile10y ago · 33 km S of this epicenter
- 4.257 km W of Ovalle, Chile10y ago · 44 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.357 km W of Ovalle, Chile10y ago · 42 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.453 km W of Ovalle, Chile10y ago · 43 km SW of this epicenter
- 3.918 km NNW of Ovalle, Chile10y ago · 14 km E of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 747 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 · 280 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.348 km W of Illapel, ChileSeptember 16, 2015 · 131 km S of this epicenter
- 8.2The 1906 Valparaiso, Chile EarthquakeAugust 17, 1906 · 221 km S of this epicenter
- 8.145 km NNW of Illapel, ChileApril 6, 1943 · 94 km S of this epicenter
- 7.819 km NNE of Hacienda La Calera, ChileJuly 9, 1971 · 246 km S of this epicenter
- 7.47 km SSE of La Ligua, ChileMarch 28, 1965 · 234 km S of this epicenter
- 7.136 km SW of Monte Patria, ChileOctober 15, 1997 · 60 km S of this epicenter
- 7.086 km NW of La Serena, ChileMarch 19, 1904 · 132 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 51 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 5,305 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1906M8.2
South Central
17 Aug 1906 · 293 km away · intensity XI
4,000 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1922M8.5
Atacama
11 Nov 1922 · 280 km away · intensity XI
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1965M7.3
Central
28 Mar 1965 · 222 km away
400 deaths$125 million damage
- 1971M7.8
Central
9 Jul 1971 · 233 km away · intensity IX
83 deaths$236 million damagetsunami
- 1822M8.5
Valparaiso, Quillota, Concon, Aconcagua
20 Nov 1822 · 293 km away · intensity XI
72 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 2015M8.3
Central
16 Sep 2015 · 131 km away · intensity IX
15 deaths$600 million damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.