Reviewed by USGSChile23d ago
M5.1 earthquake 26 km NW of Coquimbo, Chile
Thursday, September 3, 2026, 06:04:03 UTC · 29.762°S, 71.508°W
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 26 km NW of Coquimbo, Chile on Thursday, September 3, 2026, 06:04:03 UTC, at a depth of 59.4 km (shallow). USGS received 5 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of V (moderate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.5 on June 11, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.1
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 59 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 5
- Max intensity V
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- 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
674 tons of TNT
That is about 1/22 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
102 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
59 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Serena, Coquimbo, Chile | IV · Light | 4 | 66 km |
| Vicuña, Coquimbo, Chile | III · Weak | 1 | 99 km |
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 75 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km since this event; the largest was M4.4 on September 19, 2026. 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 806 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 · 229 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.348 km W of Illapel, ChileSeptember 16, 2015 · 202 km S of this epicenter
- 8.2The 1906 Valparaiso, Chile EarthquakeAugust 17, 1906 · 293 km S of this epicenter
- 8.145 km NNW of Illapel, ChileApril 6, 1943 · 167 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4Atacama, ChileApril 18, 1939 · 290 km N of this epicenter
- 7.136 km SW of Monte Patria, ChileOctober 15, 1997 · 133 km S of this epicenter
- 7.086 km NW of La Serena, ChileMarch 19, 1904 · 60 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.025 km WNW of Illapel, ChileSeptember 16, 2015 · 200 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 42 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,151 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1922M8.5
Atacama
11 Nov 1922 · 229 km away · intensity XI
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1965M7.3
Central
28 Mar 1965 · 295 km away
400 deaths$125 million damage
- 2015M8.3
Central
16 Sep 2015 · 202 km away · intensity IX
15 deaths$600 million damagetsunami
- 1943M8.2
Illapel
6 Apr 1943 · 120 km away
11 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1859M7.6
Chile
5 Oct 1859 · 291 km away · intensity X
10 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 1997M7.1
Pueblo Nuevo, Coquimbo, La Chimba
15 Oct 1997 · 133 km away
8 deaths$48 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.