Reviewed by USGSChile18y ago
M4.0 earthquake 46 km SSW of Tocopilla, Chile
Sunday, January 20, 2008, 04:51:30 UTC · 22.488°S, 70.354°W
A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck 46 km SSW of Tocopilla, Chile on Sunday, January 20, 2008, 04:51:30 UTC, at a depth of 34.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 4.0
- Light · ml
- Depth
- 34 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
15 tons of TNT
That is about 1/998 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
90 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
34 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.2 on February 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 611 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 · 299 km SE of this epicenter
- 8.036 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 30, 1995 · 95 km S of this epicenter
- 7.736 km ESE of Tocopilla, ChileNovember 14, 2007 · 55 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.684 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileMarch 5, 1987 · 212 km S of this epicenter
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 249 km S of this epicenter
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 79 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.377 km NNE of Taltal, ChileDecember 2, 1960 · 250 km S of this epicenter
- 7.334 km S of Iquique, ChileFebruary 23, 1933 · 219 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 34 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:
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 111 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1953M7.4
Northern
7 Dec 1953 · 176 km away
3 deaths$7 million damage
- 1995M8.0
Antofagasta, Calama, Mejillones
30 Jul 1995 · 95 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 2007M7.7
Tocopilla, Maria Elena
14 Nov 2007 · 55 km away · intensity VIII
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1967M7.5
Northern
21 Dec 1967 · 124 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 227 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.