QuakeScout
Magnitude3.8

Reviewed by USGSChile20y ago

M3.8 earthquake 26 km NW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Saturday, March 18, 2006, 22:11:37 UTC · 22.721°S, 68.359°W

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 26 km NW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile on Saturday, March 18, 2006, 22:11:37 UTC, at a depth of 130.0 km (intermediate).

Magnitude
3.8
Minor · mb
Depth
130 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 earthquake

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

135 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: intermediate

130 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 658 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.2121 km SSE of San Pedro de Atacama, ChileDecember 9, 1950 · 147 km S of this epicenter
  2. 8.036 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 30, 1995 · 210 km W of this epicenter
  3. 7.751 km W of Atocha, BoliviaNovember 29, 1957 · 260 km NE of this epicenter
  4. 7.684 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileMarch 5, 1987 · 261 km SW of this epicenter
  5. 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 288 km SW of this epicenter
  6. 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 189 km NW of this epicenter
  7. 7.377 km NNE of Taltal, ChileDecember 2, 1960 · 298 km SW of this epicenter
  8. 7.278 km SW of Colchani, BoliviaOctober 4, 1910 · 237 km N of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 23 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:

  1. 1877M8.3

    Off North Coast

    10 May 1877 · 259 km away · intensity XI

    2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami

  2. 1953M7.4

    Northern

    7 Dec 1953 · 77 km away

    3 deaths$7 million damage

  3. 1995M8.0

    Antofagasta, Calama, Mejillones

    30 Jul 1995 · 210 km away · intensity VII

    3 deaths$2 million damagetsunami

  4. 1967M7.5

    Northern

    21 Dec 1967 · 163 km away

    1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  5. 1936M7.3

    Taltal

    13 Jul 1936 · 259 km away

    1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami

  6. 1976M7.3

    Pozo Almonte, Oficina Victoria, Arica

    30 Nov 1976 · 252 km away · intensity VIII

    1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

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