Reviewed by USGSChile29y ago
M5.5 earthquake 64 km S of Tocopilla, Chile
Friday, February 6, 1998, 06:37:13 UTC · 22.668°S, 70.132°W
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 64 km S of Tocopilla, Chile on Friday, February 6, 1998, 06:37:13 UTC, at a depth of 57.6 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on January 30, 1998.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 58 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/6 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
117 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
58 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 481 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 · 269 km SE of this epicenter
- 8.036 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 30, 1995 · 77 km S of this epicenter
- 7.684 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileMarch 5, 1987 · 191 km S of this epicenter
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 228 km S of this epicenter
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 90 km N of this epicenter
- 7.377 km NNE of Taltal, ChileDecember 2, 1960 · 230 km S of this epicenter
- 7.334 km S of Iquique, ChileFebruary 23, 1933 · 239 km N of this epicenter
- 7.272 km N of Taltal, ChileFebruary 5, 1988 · 234 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 32 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,396 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 135 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1953M7.4
Northern
7 Dec 1953 · 160 km away
3 deaths$7 million damage
- 1995M8.0
Antofagasta, Calama, Mejillones
30 Jul 1995 · 77 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1967M7.5
Northern
21 Dec 1967 · 126 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 204 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1976M7.3
Pozo Almonte, Oficina Victoria, Arica
30 Nov 1976 · 270 km away · intensity VIII
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.