Reviewed by USGS12y ago
M5.7 earthquake in Easter Island region
Thursday, October 9, 2014, 20:59:59 UTC · 31.991°S, 111.195°W
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck in Easter Island region on Thursday, October 9, 2014, 20:59:59 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.7 on October 9, 2014.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No 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
5 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 11 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
45 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Juan Fernandez and Nazca plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
10 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 populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 7 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.0 on November 1, 2014. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 6.0Easter Island region12y ago · 16 km N of this epicenter
- 5.8Easter Island region12y ago · 11 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.7southern East Pacific Rise12y ago · 59 km S of this epicenter
- 5.0southern East Pacific Rise12y ago · 64 km S of this epicenter
- 5.2southern East Pacific Rise12y ago · 40 km E of this epicenter
- 5.6southern East Pacific Rise12y ago · 39 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.5Easter Island region12y ago · 13 km NW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 86 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.0southern East Pacific RiseOctober 9, 2014 · 38 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9Easter Island regionDecember 19, 1925 · 43 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.6southern East Pacific RiseOctober 9, 2014 · 33 km E of this epicenter
- 6.4Easter Island regionAugust 21, 1962 · 250 km N of this epicenter
- 6.4southern East Pacific RiseJuly 25, 1949 · 242 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.3southern East Pacific RiseMarch 7, 1940 · 156 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.3southern East Pacific RiseNovember 16, 1962 · 55 km S of this epicenter
- 6.3southern East Pacific RiseJuly 9, 1950 · 79 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 1 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 2014M7.0
Easter Island Region
9 Oct 2014 · 38 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.