Reviewed by USGSChile31y ago
M4.7 earthquake 41 km NNW of Antofagasta, Chile
Monday, October 16, 1995, 17:05:31 UTC · 23.319°S, 70.573°W
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 41 km NNW of Antofagasta, Chile on Monday, October 16, 1995, 17:05:31 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.1 on October 16, 1995.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
169 tons of TNT
That is about 1/89 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
82 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on October 30, 1995. 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 382 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 · 281 km E of this epicenter
- 8.036 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 30, 1995 · 29 km E of this epicenter
- 7.79 km SSW of Taltal, ChileDecember 28, 1966 · 241 km S of this epicenter
- 7.684 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileMarch 5, 1987 · 126 km S of this epicenter
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 161 km S of this epicenter
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 172 km N of this epicenter
- 7.377 km NNE of Taltal, ChileDecember 2, 1960 · 160 km S of this epicenter
- 7.272 km N of Taltal, ChileFebruary 5, 1988 · 160 km S 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 2,398 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 202 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1953M7.4
Northern
7 Dec 1953 · 235 km away
3 deaths$7 million damage
- 1995M8.0
Antofagasta, Calama, Mejillones
30 Jul 1995 · 29 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1966M7.8
Taltal, Catalina
28 Dec 1966 · 243 km away · intensity VIII
3 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 1967M7.5
Northern
21 Dec 1967 · 211 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 144 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.