Reviewed by USGSChile43y ago
M5.2 earthquake 37 km SW of Taltal, Chile
Wednesday, October 12, 1983, 11:33:13 UTC · 25.602°S, 70.788°W
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 37 km SW of Taltal, Chile on Wednesday, October 12, 1983, 11:33:13 UTC, at a depth of 27.1 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.7 on October 9, 1983.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 27 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- 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
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
80 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
27 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.3 on October 13, 1983. 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 190 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.060 km W of Diego de Almagro, ChileDecember 4, 1918 · 97 km S of this epicenter
- 7.79 km SSW of Taltal, ChileDecember 28, 1966 · 29 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 117 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.550 km WNW of Diego de Almagro, ChileJune 8, 1909 · 68 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.4Atacama, ChileApril 18, 1939 · 180 km S of this epicenter
- 7.454 km WSW of Diego de Almagro, ChileOctober 4, 1983 · 106 km S of this epicenter
- 7.377 km NNE of Taltal, ChileDecember 2, 1960 · 109 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.187 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 8, 1942 · 156 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 26 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 22 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1859M7.6
Chile
5 Oct 1859 · 199 km away · intensity X
10 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 1983M7.3
Northern: Copoapo-Chanaral
4 Oct 1983 · 106 km away · intensity VII
5 deaths$1 million damagetsunami
- 1966M7.8
Taltal, Catalina
28 Dec 1966 · 14 km away · intensity VIII
3 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 1946M7.9
Northern
2 Aug 1946 · 104 km away
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 146 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1971M6.3
Catalina, Antofagasta
17 Jun 1971 · 160 km away · intensity V
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.