Reviewed by USGSChile12y ago
M5.3 earthquake 14 km ENE of Iquique, Chile
Thursday, August 14, 2014, 00:02:55 UTC · 20.158°S, 70.023°W
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 14 km ENE of Iquique, Chile on Thursday, August 14, 2014, 00:02:55 UTC, at a depth of 50.9 km (shallow). USGS received 23 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of VII (very strong). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on July 23, 2014.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 51 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 23
- Max intensity VII
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (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
1 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/11 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
140 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and Altiplano plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
51 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iquique, Tarapacá, Chile | VII · Very strong | 20 | 52 km |
| Arica, Tarapacá, Chile | III · Weak | 2 | 193 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on September 4, 2014. 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 717 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.293 km NW of Iquique, ChileApril 1, 2014 · 99 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.8102 km ENE of Iquique, ChileJune 13, 2005 · 88 km E of this epicenter
- 7.736 km ESE of Tocopilla, ChileNovember 14, 2007 · 233 km S of this epicenter
- 7.753 km SW of Iquique, ChileApril 3, 2014 · 67 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.3136 km WSW of Challapata, BoliviaJune 6, 1915 · 234 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 191 km S of this epicenter
- 7.334 km S of Iquique, ChileFebruary 23, 1933 · 44 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.2Near the coast of Tarapaca, ChileOctober 4, 1940 · 47 km NW 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 28,117 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1868M8.5
Arica
13 Aug 1868 · 201 km away · intensity XI
25,000 deaths$300 million damagetsunami
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 157 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1833M7.7
Peru: Tacna; Chile: Arica
18 Sep 1833 · 236 km away · intensity VIII
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 2005M7.7
Tarapaca
13 Jun 2005 · 88 km away
11 deaths$5 million damage
- 2014M8.2
Northern: Iquique, Alto Hospicio
1 Apr 2014 · 99 km away · intensity VIII
7 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1987M6.9
Arica, Iquique
8 Aug 1987 · 126 km away · intensity VII
5 deaths$1 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.