Reviewed by USGSChile39y ago
M5.2 earthquake 45 km ENE of Calama, Chile
Monday, June 1, 1987, 01:50:16 UTC · 22.258°S, 68.541°W
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 45 km ENE of Calama, Chile on Monday, June 1, 1987, 01:50:16 UTC, at a depth of 103.9 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on May 25, 1987.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 104 km
- Intermediate
- 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
84 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: intermediate
104 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on June 18, 1987. 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 355 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.2121 km SSE of San Pedro de Atacama, ChileDecember 9, 1950 · 202 km S of this epicenter
- 7.751 km W of Atocha, BoliviaNovember 29, 1957 · 239 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.684 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileMarch 5, 1987 · 289 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 152 km W of this epicenter
- 7.334 km S of Iquique, ChileFebruary 23, 1933 · 258 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.278 km SW of Colchani, BoliviaOctober 4, 1910 · 199 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.1136 km E of Iquique, ChileJune 14, 1959 · 208 km N of this epicenter
- 7.187 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 8, 1942 · 281 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 30 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,394 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 219 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1953M7.4
Northern
7 Dec 1953 · 24 km away
3 deaths$7 million damage
- 1967M7.5
Northern
21 Dec 1967 · 117 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 290 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1976M7.3
Pozo Almonte, Oficina Victoria, Arica
30 Nov 1976 · 197 km away · intensity VIII
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1987M7.3
Antofagasta, Arica
5 Mar 1987 · 289 km away · intensity VI
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.