Reviewed by USGSChile28y ago
M3.7 earthquake 69 km ESE of Teno, Chile
Thursday, October 1, 1998, 04:14:10 UTC · 35.177°S, 70.503°W
A magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck 69 km ESE of Teno, Chile on Thursday, October 1, 1998, 04:14:10 UTC, at a depth of 14.9 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.7
- Minor · md
- Depth
- 15 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
5 tons of TNT
That is about 1/2,814 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 89 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
266 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
15 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 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M3.9 on October 27, 1998. 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 254 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.025 km WSW of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 3, 1985 · 260 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.826 km WNW of San Carlos, ChileJanuary 25, 1939 · 198 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.819 km NNE of Hacienda La Calera, ChileJuly 9, 1971 · 291 km N of this epicenter
- 7.730 km NNE of Constitución, ChileDecember 1, 1928 · 161 km W of this epicenter
- 7.7103 km NW of Constitución, ChileJanuary 30, 1914 · 260 km W of this epicenter
- 7.419 km S of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 4, 1985 · 244 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.247 km NW of Cauquenes, ChileDecember 2, 1928 · 211 km W of this epicenter
- 7.237 km S of San Antonio, ChileMarch 18, 1931 · 169 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 35 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 34,711 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1939M8.3
Chillan
25 Jan 1939 · 198 km away · intensity X
30,000 deaths$920 million damagetsunami
- 1906M8.2
South Central
17 Aug 1906 · 279 km away · intensity XI
4,000 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1928M7.6
Talca, Chillan, Santiago, San Fernando
1 Dec 1928 · 138 km away · intensity IX
279 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1985M8.0
Central Coast, San Antonio, Valparaiso
3 Mar 1985 · 253 km away · intensity VIII
180 deaths$1.5 billion damagetsunami
- 1822M8.5
Valparaiso, Quillota, Concon, Aconcagua
20 Nov 1822 · 279 km away · intensity XI
72 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1751M8.5
Concepcion, Chillan, Talca, Tutuben, Curico
25 May 1751 · 210 km away · intensity XI
65 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.