Reviewed by USGSChile19y ago
M5.0 earthquake 61 km N of Antofagasta, Chile
Wednesday, January 2, 2008, 08:42:29 UTC · 23.096°S, 70.439°W
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 61 km N of Antofagasta, Chile on Wednesday, January 2, 2008, 08:42:29 UTC, at a depth of 24.9 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.5 on December 26, 2007.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 25 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
95 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
25 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 75 km
USGS lists 5 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on January 15, 2008. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 3.974 km NNE of Antofagasta, Chile18y ago · 27 km E of this epicenter
- 4.284 km NNE of Antofagasta, Chile18y ago · 35 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.046 km SSW of Tocopilla, Chile18y ago · 68 km N of this epicenter
- 4.979 km NE of Antofagasta, Chile18y ago · 73 km E of this epicenter
- 3.867 km NNE of Antofagasta, Chile18y ago · 22 km E of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 558 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 · 276 km E of this epicenter
- 8.036 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 30, 1995 · 31 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.736 km ESE of Tocopilla, ChileNovember 14, 2007 · 110 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.79 km SSW of Taltal, ChileDecember 28, 1966 · 266 km S of this epicenter
- 7.684 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileMarch 5, 1987 · 146 km S of this epicenter
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 183 km S of this epicenter
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 144 km N of this epicenter
- 7.377 km NNE of Taltal, ChileDecember 2, 1960 · 182 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 27 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,400 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 178 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1953M7.4
Northern
7 Dec 1953 · 210 km away
3 deaths$7 million damage
- 1995M8.0
Antofagasta, Calama, Mejillones
30 Jul 1995 · 31 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1966M7.8
Taltal, Catalina
28 Dec 1966 · 269 km away · intensity VIII
3 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 2007M7.7
Tocopilla, Maria Elena
14 Nov 2007 · 110 km away · intensity VIII
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1967M7.5
Northern
21 Dec 1967 · 183 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.