Reviewed by USGSChile16y ago
M4.2 earthquake 155 km NW of Constitución, Chile
Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 15:51:53 UTC · 34.422°S, 73.705°W
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 155 km NW of Constitución, Chile on Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 15:51:53 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 4.2
- Light · 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
30 tons of TNT
That is about 1/500 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 16 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
28 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 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.7 on June 14, 2010. 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 549 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.82010 Maule, Chile EarthquakeFebruary 27, 2010 · 203 km S of this epicenter
- 8.025 km WSW of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 3, 1985 · 222 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.826 km WNW of San Carlos, ChileJanuary 25, 1939 · 248 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.730 km NNE of Constitución, ChileDecember 1, 1928 · 151 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.7103 km NW of Constitución, ChileJanuary 30, 1914 · 52 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.419 km S of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 4, 1985 · 232 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.247 km NW of Cauquenes, ChileDecember 2, 1928 · 168 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.237 km S of San Antonio, ChileMarch 18, 1931 · 205 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 36 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 35,166 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1939M8.3
Chillan
25 Jan 1939 · 242 km away · intensity X
30,000 deaths$920 million damagetsunami
- 1906M8.2
South Central
17 Aug 1906 · 223 km away · intensity XI
4,000 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 2010M8.8
Maule, Concepcion, Talcahuano
27 Feb 2010 · 203 km away · intensity IX
558 deaths$30 billion damagetsunami
- 1928M7.6
Talca, Chillan, Santiago, San Fernando
1 Dec 1928 · 169 km away · intensity IX
279 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1985M8.0
Central Coast, San Antonio, Valparaiso
3 Mar 1985 · 234 km away · intensity VIII
180 deaths$1.5 billion damagetsunami
- 1822M8.5
Valparaiso, Quillota, Concon, Aconcagua
20 Nov 1822 · 223 km away · intensity XI
72 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.