Reviewed by USGSChile10y ago
M4.3 earthquake in Near the coast of Valparaiso, Chile
Monday, April 18, 2016, 07:01:14 UTC · 32.450°S, 71.483°W
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck in Near the coast of Valparaiso, Chile on Monday, April 18, 2016, 07:01:14 UTC, at a depth of 27.5 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 4.3
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 28 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
43 tons of TNT
That is about 1/354 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 11 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
121 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
28 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 6 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on May 8, 2016. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.250 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile10y ago · 29 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.254 km NNW of Valparaíso, Chile10y ago · 37 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.425 km W of Hacienda La Calera, Chile10y ago · 34 km S of this epicenter
- 3.652 km NNW of Valparaíso, Chile10y ago · 36 km SW of this epicenter
- 3.964 km WNW of La Ligua, Chile10y ago · 42 km NW of this epicenter
- 3.721 km SW of La Ligua, Chile10y ago · 20 km SE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 917 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.348 km W of Illapel, ChileSeptember 16, 2015 · 99 km N of this epicenter
- 8.2The 1906 Valparaiso, Chile EarthquakeAugust 17, 1906 · 10 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.145 km NNW of Illapel, ChileApril 6, 1943 · 133 km N of this epicenter
- 8.025 km WSW of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 3, 1985 · 84 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.819 km NNE of Hacienda La Calera, ChileJuly 9, 1971 · 35 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.47 km SSE of La Ligua, ChileMarch 28, 1965 · 27 km E of this epicenter
- 7.419 km S of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 4, 1985 · 86 km S of this epicenter
- 7.237 km S of San Antonio, ChileMarch 18, 1931 · 164 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 57 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 19,485 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1861
Mendoza, San Luiz
20 Mar 1861 · 254 km away · intensity IX
14,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1906M8.2
South Central
17 Aug 1906 · 78 km away · intensity XI
4,000 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1965M7.3
Central
28 Mar 1965 · 27 km away
400 deaths$125 million damage
- 1920M6.7
Mendoza
17 Dec 1920 · 295 km away · intensity VIII
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1928M7.6
Talca, Chillan, Santiago, San Fernando
1 Dec 1928 · 288 km away · intensity IX
279 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1985M8.0
Central Coast, San Antonio, Valparaiso
3 Mar 1985 · 79 km away · intensity VIII
180 deaths$1.5 billion damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.