Reviewed by USGSChile16y ago
M4.7 earthquake 28 km NNW of Talca, Chile
Monday, November 29, 2010, 11:56:34 UTC · 35.185°S, 71.763°W
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 28 km NNW of Talca, Chile on Monday, November 29, 2010, 11:56:34 UTC, at a depth of 71.7 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on November 28, 2010.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 72 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
169 tons of TNT
That is about 1/89 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
167 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: intermediate
72 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.9 on December 19, 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 640 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 · 146 km SW of this epicenter
- 8.025 km WSW of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 3, 1985 · 228 km N of this epicenter
- 7.826 km WNW of San Carlos, ChileJanuary 25, 1939 · 130 km S of this epicenter
- 7.819 km NNE of Hacienda La Calera, ChileJuly 9, 1971 · 291 km N of this epicenter
- 7.730 km NNE of Constitución, ChileDecember 1, 1928 · 47 km W of this epicenter
- 7.7103 km NW of Constitución, ChileJanuary 30, 1914 · 148 km W of this epicenter
- 7.523 km SE of Chiguayante, ChileMay 6, 1953 · 234 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.419 km S of Valparaíso, ChileMarch 4, 1985 · 220 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 39 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 35,238 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1939M8.3
Chillan
25 Jan 1939 · 126 km away · intensity X
30,000 deaths$920 million damagetsunami
- 1906M8.2
South Central
17 Aug 1906 · 244 km away · intensity XI
4,000 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
- 2010M8.8
Maule, Concepcion, Talcahuano
27 Feb 2010 · 146 km away · intensity IX
558 deaths$30 billion damagetsunami
- 1928M7.6
Talca, Chillan, Santiago, San Fernando
1 Dec 1928 · 30 km away · intensity IX
279 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1985M8.0
Central Coast, San Antonio, Valparaiso
3 Mar 1985 · 228 km away · intensity VIII
180 deaths$1.5 billion damagetsunami
- 1822M8.5
Valparaiso, Quillota, Concon, Aconcagua
20 Nov 1822 · 244 km away · intensity XI
72 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.