Reviewed by USGSChile19y ago
M3.7 earthquake 67 km NNW of Antofagasta, Chile
Wednesday, December 26, 2007, 21:44:39 UTC · 23.075°S, 70.621°W
A magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck 67 km NNW of Antofagasta, Chile on Wednesday, December 26, 2007, 21:44:39 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.7
- 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
5 tons of TNT
That is about 1/2,814 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 89 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
76 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
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 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.0 on January 2, 2008. 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 528 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 · 294 km E of this epicenter
- 8.036 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 30, 1995 · 45 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.736 km ESE of Tocopilla, ChileNovember 14, 2007 · 119 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.79 km SSW of Taltal, ChileDecember 28, 1966 · 268 km S of this epicenter
- 7.684 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileMarch 5, 1987 · 153 km S of this epicenter
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 189 km S of this epicenter
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 150 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.377 km NNE of Taltal, ChileDecember 2, 1960 · 187 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 26 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,399 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 176 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1953M7.4
Northern
7 Dec 1953 · 225 km away
3 deaths$7 million damage
- 1995M8.0
Antofagasta, Calama, Mejillones
30 Jul 1995 · 45 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1966M7.8
Taltal, Catalina
28 Dec 1966 · 270 km away · intensity VIII
3 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 2007M7.7
Tocopilla, Maria Elena
14 Nov 2007 · 119 km away · intensity VIII
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1967M7.5
Northern
21 Dec 1967 · 191 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.