Reviewed by USGSChile31y ago
M4.5 earthquake 71 km W of Antofagasta, Chile
Tuesday, September 12, 1995, 08:40:43 UTC · 23.749°S, 71.089°W
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 71 km W of Antofagasta, Chile on Tuesday, September 12, 1995, 08:40:43 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.6 on September 7, 1995.
- Magnitude
- 4.5
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 33 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
85 tons of TNT
That is about 1/178 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 6 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
33 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
33 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 295 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.036 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 30, 1995 · 93 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.79 km SSW of Taltal, ChileDecember 28, 1966 · 201 km S of this epicenter
- 7.684 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileMarch 5, 1987 · 118 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 143 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.550 km WNW of Diego de Almagro, ChileJune 8, 1909 · 274 km S of this epicenter
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 238 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.377 km NNE of Taltal, ChileDecember 2, 1960 · 136 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.272 km N of Taltal, ChileFebruary 5, 1988 · 130 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 24 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,395 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 257 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1995M8.0
Antofagasta, Calama, Mejillones
30 Jul 1995 · 93 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1966M7.8
Taltal, Catalina
28 Dec 1966 · 199 km away · intensity VIII
3 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 1967M7.5
Northern
21 Dec 1967 · 280 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 139 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1987M7.3
Antofagasta, Arica
5 Mar 1987 · 118 km away · intensity VI
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.