M6.7 earthquake 38 km W of Constitución, Chile

Monday, February 14, 2011, 03:40:09 UTC · 35.380°S, 72.834°W

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 38 km W of Constitución, Chile on Monday, February 14, 2011, 03:40:09 UTC, at a depth of 21.0 km (shallow). USGS received 87 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of V (moderate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.9 on February 11, 2011.

Magnitude: 6.7; Strong · mww
Depth: 21 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 87; Max intensity V
Est. shaking: VI; Strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: None; Not issued
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

169 kilotons of TNT

That is about 11 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 355 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

88 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

21 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
Santiago, Metropolitana, Chile	II · Weak	36	294 km
Concepción, Bío Bío, Chile	IV · Light	8	163 km
Chillán, Bío Bío, Chile	III · Weak	7	151 km
Constitución, Maule, Chile	IV · Light	5	43 km
Talca, Maule, Chile	IV · Light	4	108 km
Talcahuano, Bío Bío, Chile	V · Moderate	3	154 km
Linares, Maule, Chile	III · Weak	3	125 km
Coronel, Bío Bío, Chile	III · Weak	2	186 km
San Carlos, Bío Bío, Chile	III · Weak	2	141 km
Puente Alto, Metropolitana, Chile	II · Weak	2	286 km
Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, Chile	II · Weak	2	289 km
Cabildo, Valparaíso, Chile	V · Moderate	1	362 km

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 100 km

USGS lists 8 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.2 on February 14, 2011. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 650 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 37 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 35,282 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1939M8.3
Chillan
25 Jan 1939 · 110 km away · intensity X
30,000 deaths$920 million damagetsunami
1906M8.2
South Central
17 Aug 1906 · 276 km away · intensity XI
4,000 deaths$100 million damagetsunami
2010M8.8
Maule, Concepcion, Talcahuano
27 Feb 2010 · 83 km away · intensity IX
558 deaths$30 billion damagetsunami
1928M7.6
Talca, Chillan, Santiago, San Fernando
1 Dec 1928 · 87 km away · intensity IX
279 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1985M8.0
Central Coast, San Antonio, Valparaiso
3 Mar 1985 · 271 km away · intensity VIII
180 deaths$1.5 billion damagetsunami
1822M8.5
Valparaiso, Quillota, Concon, Aconcagua
20 Nov 1822 · 276 km away · intensity XI
72 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers