Reviewed by USGSChile28y ago
M3.5 earthquake in Maule, Chile
Sunday, November 22, 1998, 11:58:28 UTC · 35.685°S, 71.244°W
A magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck in Maule, Chile on Sunday, November 22, 1998, 11:58:28 UTC, at a depth of 134.3 km (intermediate).
- Magnitude
- 3.5
- Minor · md
- Depth
- 134 km
- Intermediate
- 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
3 tons of TNT
That is about 1/5,615 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 178 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
234 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: intermediate
134 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M3.1 on November 29, 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 236 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 · 289 km N of this epicenter
- 7.826 km WNW of San Carlos, ChileJanuary 25, 1939 · 111 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.730 km NNE of Constitución, ChileDecember 1, 1928 · 114 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.7103 km NW of Constitución, ChileJanuary 30, 1914 · 214 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.523 km SE of Chiguayante, ChileMay 6, 1953 · 214 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.419 km S of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 4, 1985 · 278 km N of this epicenter
- 7.247 km NW of Cauquenes, ChileDecember 2, 1928 · 135 km W of this epicenter
- 7.237 km S of San Antonio, ChileMarch 18, 1931 · 198 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 27 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 30,601 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1939M8.3
Chillan
25 Jan 1939 · 110 km away · intensity X
30,000 deaths$920 million damagetsunami
- 1928M7.6
Talca, Chillan, Santiago, San Fernando
1 Dec 1928 · 102 km away · intensity IX
279 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1985M8.0
Central Coast, San Antonio, Valparaiso
3 Mar 1985 · 287 km away · intensity VIII
180 deaths$1.5 billion damagetsunami
- 1751M8.5
Concepcion, Chillan, Talca, Tutuben, Curico
25 May 1751 · 132 km away · intensity XI
65 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1835M8.2
Concepcion
20 Feb 1835 · 205 km away · intensity XI
53 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1953M7.6
Chillan, Concepcion
6 May 1953 · 145 km away · intensity X
9 deaths$500 million damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.