Reviewed by USGSChile18y ago
M4.9 earthquake 79 km NE of Antofagasta, Chile
Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 22:52:33 UTC · 23.256°S, 69.750°W
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 79 km NE of Antofagasta, Chile on Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 22:52:33 UTC, at a depth of 28.3 km (shallow). USGS received 3 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IV (light). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.7 on January 5, 2008.
- Magnitude
- 4.9
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 28 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 3
- Max intensity IV
- 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
338 tons of TNT
That is about 1/45 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 1 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
166 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
28 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
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile | IV · Light | 2 | 83 km |
| Tocopilla, Antofagasta, Chile | III · Weak | 1 | 139 km |
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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.0 on February 8, 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 635 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 · 204 km SE of this epicenter
- 8.036 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 30, 1995 · 56 km W of this epicenter
- 7.736 km ESE of Tocopilla, ChileNovember 14, 2007 · 113 km N of this epicenter
- 7.79 km SSW of Taltal, ChileDecember 28, 1966 · 260 km S of this epicenter
- 7.684 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileMarch 5, 1987 · 133 km S of this epicenter
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 168 km S of this epicenter
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 155 km N of this epicenter
- 7.377 km NNE of Taltal, ChileDecember 2, 1960 · 173 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 28 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,401 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 210 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1953M7.4
Northern
7 Dec 1953 · 168 km away
3 deaths$7 million damage
- 1995M8.0
Antofagasta, Calama, Mejillones
30 Jul 1995 · 56 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1966M7.8
Taltal, Catalina
28 Dec 1966 · 267 km away · intensity VIII
3 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 2007M7.7
Tocopilla, Maria Elena
14 Nov 2007 · 113 km away · intensity VIII
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1967M7.5
Northern
21 Dec 1967 · 175 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.