Reviewed by USGSChile28y ago
M2.6 earthquake 5 km SE of San Javier, Chile
Sunday, November 29, 1998, 15:59:09 UTC · 35.634°S, 71.695°W
A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 5 km SE of San Javier, Chile on Sunday, November 29, 1998, 15:59:09 UTC, at a depth of 102.0 km (intermediate).
- Magnitude
- 2.6
- Minor · md
- Depth
- 102 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
120 kg of TNT
That is about 1/125,702 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3,981 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
195 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
102 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M3.0 on December 6, 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 257 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.14 km ESE of Cañete, ChileMay 21, 1960 · 285 km SW of this epicenter
- 8.025 km WSW of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 3, 1985 · 278 km N of this epicenter
- 7.826 km WNW of San Carlos, ChileJanuary 25, 1939 · 87 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.838 km WNW of Traiguén, ChileMay 22, 1960 · 295 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.730 km NNE of Constitución, ChileDecember 1, 1928 · 80 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.7103 km NW of Constitución, ChileJanuary 30, 1914 · 176 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.523 km SE of Chiguayante, ChileMay 6, 1953 · 193 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.419 km S of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 4, 1985 · 270 km N 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 34,673 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1939M8.3
Chillan
25 Jan 1939 · 85 km away · intensity X
30,000 deaths$920 million damagetsunami
- 1906M8.2
South Central
17 Aug 1906 · 294 km away · intensity XI
4,000 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 1928M7.6
Talca, Chillan, Santiago, San Fernando
1 Dec 1928 · 76 km away · intensity IX
279 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1985M8.0
Central Coast, San Antonio, Valparaiso
3 Mar 1985 · 278 km away · intensity VIII
180 deaths$1.5 billion damagetsunami
- 1822M8.5
Valparaiso, Quillota, Concon, Aconcagua
20 Nov 1822 · 294 km away · intensity XI
72 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1751M8.5
Concepcion, Chillan, Talca, Tutuben, Curico
25 May 1751 · 133 km away · intensity XI
65 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.