Reviewed by USGSChile11y ago
M5.1 earthquake 87 km WNW of Iquique, Chile
Friday, December 12, 2014, 12:35:30 UTC · 19.917°S, 70.930°W
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 87 km WNW of Iquique, Chile on Friday, December 12, 2014, 12:35:30 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on November 29, 2014.
- Magnitude
- 5.1
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 20 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Max intensity I
- 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
53 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and Altiplano plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
20 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 75 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.3 on December 24, 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 598 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 · 38 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.8102 km ENE of Iquique, ChileJune 13, 2005 · 181 km E of this epicenter
- 7.736 km ESE of Tocopilla, ChileNovember 14, 2007 · 281 km S of this epicenter
- 7.753 km SW of Iquique, ChileApril 3, 2014 · 86 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.651 km SW of Punta de Bombón, PeruJuly 7, 2001 · 290 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 240 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.334 km S of Iquique, ChileFebruary 23, 1933 · 102 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2Near the coast of Tarapaca, ChileOctober 4, 1940 · 53 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 54 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 28,115 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1868M8.5
Arica
13 Aug 1868 · 147 km away · intensity XI
25,000 deaths$300 million damagetsunami
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 182 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1833M7.7
Peru: Tacna; Chile: Arica
18 Sep 1833 · 185 km away · intensity VIII
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 2005M7.7
Tarapaca
13 Jun 2005 · 181 km away
11 deaths$5 million damage
- 2014M8.2
Northern: Iquique, Alto Hospicio
1 Apr 2014 · 38 km away · intensity VIII
7 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1987M6.9
Arica, Iquique
8 Aug 1987 · 140 km away · intensity VII
5 deaths$1 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.