Reviewed by USGSArgentina20y ago
M3.9 earthquake 119 km W of San Antonio de los Cobres, Argentina
Wednesday, November 15, 2006, 02:07:50 UTC · 24.332°S, 67.486°W
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 119 km W of San Antonio de los Cobres, Argentina on Wednesday, November 15, 2006, 02:07:50 UTC, at a depth of 186.4 km (intermediate).
- Magnitude
- 3.9
- Minor · mb
- Depth
- 186 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
11 tons of TNT
That is about 1/1,410 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 45 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
313 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
186 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on November 15, 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 441 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 · 59 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.684 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileMarch 5, 1987 · 271 km W of this epicenter
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 273 km W of this epicenter
- 7.377 km NNE of Taltal, ChileDecember 2, 1960 · 288 km W of this epicenter
- 7.275 km N of San Antonio de los Cobres, ArgentinaMay 12, 2000 · 137 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.134 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileJanuary 30, 1998 · 280 km W of this epicenter
- 7.187 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 8, 1942 · 259 km W of this epicenter
- 7.064 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileNovember 20, 1928 · 292 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 38 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1930M6.1
La Poma
24 Dec 1930 · 226 km away · intensity VIII
31 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1953M7.4
Northern
7 Dec 1953 · 277 km away
3 deaths$7 million damage
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 255 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1987M7.3
Antofagasta, Arica
5 Mar 1987 · 271 km away · intensity VI
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1971M6.3
Catalina, Antofagasta
17 Jun 1971 · 216 km away · intensity V
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1950M8.0
Chile-Argentina
9 Dec 1950 · 93 km away · intensity VII
1 death
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.