Reviewed by USGSChile39y ago
M4.8 earthquake 69 km NW of Taltal, Chile
Friday, February 12, 1988, 03:35:39 UTC · 24.949°S, 70.962°W
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 69 km NW of Taltal, Chile on Friday, February 12, 1988, 03:35:39 UTC, at a depth of 41.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.1 on February 10, 1988.
- Magnitude
- 4.8
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 41 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
239 tons of TNT
That is about 1/63 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
55 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
41 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 50 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.6 on February 15, 1988. 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 234 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 · 171 km S of this epicenter
- 7.79 km SSW of Taltal, ChileDecember 28, 1966 · 74 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.684 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileMarch 5, 1987 · 102 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 85 km E of this epicenter
- 7.550 km WNW of Diego de Almagro, ChileJune 8, 1909 · 142 km S of this epicenter
- 7.4Atacama, ChileApril 18, 1939 · 252 km S of this epicenter
- 7.454 km WSW of Diego de Almagro, ChileOctober 4, 1983 · 181 km S of this epicenter
- 7.377 km NNE of Taltal, ChileDecember 2, 1960 · 71 km E 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 23 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1859M7.6
Chile
5 Oct 1859 · 274 km away · intensity X
10 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 1983M7.3
Northern: Copoapo-Chanaral
4 Oct 1983 · 181 km away · intensity VII
5 deaths$1 million damagetsunami
- 1966M7.8
Taltal, Catalina
28 Dec 1966 · 67 km away · intensity VIII
3 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 1946M7.9
Northern
2 Aug 1946 · 179 km away
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 109 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1987M7.3
Antofagasta, Arica
5 Mar 1987 · 102 km away · intensity VI
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.