Reviewed by USGSChile10y ago
M5.2 earthquake 15 km SW of Illapel, Chile
Monday, April 18, 2016, 11:38:38 UTC · 31.727°S, 71.287°W
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 15 km SW of Illapel, Chile on Monday, April 18, 2016, 11:38:38 UTC, at a depth of 42.0 km (shallow). USGS received 7 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of V (moderate). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on April 6, 2016.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 42 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 7
- Max intensity V
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
133 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
42 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.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santiago, Metropolitana, Chile | III · Weak | 5 | 204 km |
| Calera, Valparaíso, Chile | V · Moderate | 1 | 124 km |
| Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile | II · Weak | 1 | 152 km |
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 75 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on April 25, 2016. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 914 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 · 40 km NW of this epicenter
- 8.2The 1906 Valparaiso, Chile EarthquakeAugust 17, 1906 · 76 km S of this epicenter
- 8.145 km NNW of Illapel, ChileApril 6, 1943 · 52 km N of this epicenter
- 8.025 km WSW of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 3, 1985 · 166 km S of this epicenter
- 7.819 km NNE of Hacienda La Calera, ChileJuly 9, 1971 · 100 km S of this epicenter
- 7.47 km SSE of La Ligua, ChileMarch 28, 1965 · 88 km S of this epicenter
- 7.419 km S of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 4, 1985 · 168 km S of this epicenter
- 7.237 km S of San Antonio, ChileMarch 18, 1931 · 246 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 58 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 29,206 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1861
Mendoza, San Luiz
20 Mar 1861 · 263 km away · intensity IX
14,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1944M6.9
San Juan Province
15 Jan 1944 · 266 km away · intensity IX
10,000 deaths$100 million damage
- 1906M8.2
South Central
17 Aug 1906 · 157 km away · intensity XI
4,000 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1965M7.3
Central
28 Mar 1965 · 75 km away
400 deaths$125 million damage
- 1920M6.7
Mendoza
17 Dec 1920 · 272 km away · intensity VIII
400 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1985M8.0
Central Coast, San Antonio, Valparaiso
3 Mar 1985 · 161 km away · intensity VIII
180 deaths$1.5 billion damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.