Reviewed by USGSChile18y ago
M4.6 earthquake 70 km S of Calama, Chile
Thursday, May 1, 2008, 15:16:52 UTC · 23.089°S, 68.921°W
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 70 km S of Calama, Chile on Thursday, May 1, 2008, 15:16:52 UTC, at a depth of 93.7 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.6 on April 20, 2008.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 94 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
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
176 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
94 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.2 on May 23, 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 751 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 · 143 km SE of this epicenter
- 8.036 km NNE of Antofagasta, ChileJuly 30, 1995 · 143 km W of this epicenter
- 7.736 km ESE of Tocopilla, ChileNovember 14, 2007 · 137 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.684 km SSE of Antofagasta, ChileMarch 5, 1987 · 192 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.583 km NNE of Taltal, ChileJuly 13, 1936 · 220 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 172 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.377 km NNE of Taltal, ChileDecember 2, 1960 · 230 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.278 km SW of Colchani, BoliviaOctober 4, 1910 · 298 km NE 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 2,399 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1877M8.3
Off North Coast
10 May 1877 · 240 km away · intensity XI
2,385 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 1953M7.4
Northern
7 Dec 1953 · 112 km away
3 deaths$7 million damage
- 1995M8.0
Antofagasta, Calama, Mejillones
30 Jul 1995 · 143 km away · intensity VII
3 deaths$2 million damagetsunami
- 2007M7.7
Tocopilla, Maria Elena
14 Nov 2007 · 137 km away · intensity VIII
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1967M7.5
Northern
21 Dec 1967 · 166 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 191 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.