Reviewed by USGSChile20y ago
M3.8 earthquake 26 km SSW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Tuesday, February 14, 2006, 03:46:10 UTC · 23.133°S, 68.301°W
A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 26 km SSW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile on Tuesday, February 14, 2006, 03:46:10 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.8
- Minor · mb
- Depth
- 35 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
8 tons of TNT
That is about 1/1,992 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 63 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
181 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
35 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on March 7, 2006. 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 643 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 · 102 km SE of this epicenter
- 8.036 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 30, 1995 · 205 km W of this epicenter
- 7.751 km W of Atocha, BoliviaNovember 29, 1957 · 293 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.684 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileMarch 5, 1987 · 235 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 258 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 220 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.377 km NNE of Taltal, ChileDecember 2, 1960 · 270 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.278 km SW of Colchani, BoliviaOctober 4, 1910 · 278 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 24 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,397 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 290 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1953M7.4
Northern
7 Dec 1953 · 122 km away
3 deaths$7 million damage
- 1995M8.0
Antofagasta, Calama, Mejillones
30 Jul 1995 · 205 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1967M7.5
Northern
21 Dec 1967 · 201 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 230 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1976M7.3
Pozo Almonte, Oficina Victoria, Arica
30 Nov 1976 · 297 km away · intensity VIII
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.