Under land 110 kilometer from Iquique in Chile, a significant Magnitude 5.2 earthquake occurred in the morning of Wednesday August 23rd, 2023. Peru is also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Chile, 110 kilometer (68 mi) east of Iquique in Tarapacá. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 85 km.
| Date and Time: | Aug 23, 2023 10:02 (Santiago Time) - Aug 23, 2023 14:02 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 110 km east of Iquique, Tarapacá, Chile. Coordinates 20°24'57"S 69°6'60"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 25 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.062 . |
| Depth: | 85 km (53 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Chile and Peru are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.
Alto Hospicio in Tarapacá, Chile is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 104 kilometer (65 mi) east of Alto Hospicio.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Iquique is located 110 km to the west. Alto Hospicio is located 104 km to the west. Tacna is located 292 km to the north-northwest.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 104 km (65 mi) W from epicenter |
Alto Hospicio Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 106 km (66 mi) W from epicenter |
La Tirana Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 108 km (67 mi) W from epicenter |
Goméz Carreño Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 108 km (67 mi) W from epicenter |
Playa Brava Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 108 km (67 mi) W from epicenter |
Caupolicán Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 109 km (68 mi) W from epicenter |
Cavancha Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 110 km (68 mi) W from epicenter |
Iquique Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 217 km (135 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Tocopilla Antofagasta, Chile. |
| 228 km (142 mi) S from epicenter |
Calama Antofagasta, Chile. |
| 249 km (155 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Arica Arica y Parinacota, Chile. |
| 292 km (181 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Tacna Tacna, Peru. |
Shaking reported by 17 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 17 people have reported shaking in 3 places, all within Chile.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Iquique, Tarapacá, Chile: 14 people.
- Arica, Tarapacá, Chile: 2 people.
- Calama, Antofagasta, Chile: 1 person.
12 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 12 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 40 km (25 mi) east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 days later. It measured a magnitude of 4.3
Before this earthquake struck, 9 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 1 day earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.4
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
3 days earlier Aug 20, 2023 21:12 (Santiago Time) | 55 km (34 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
2 days earlier Aug 21, 2023 05:58 (Santiago Time) | 52 km (32 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
2 days earlier Aug 21, 2023 08:17 (Santiago Time) | 11 km (7 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
1 day earlier Aug 21, 2023 23:16 (Santiago Time) | 97 km (60 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.4 |
1 day earlier Aug 22, 2023 00:18 (Santiago Time) | 65 km (40 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
1 day earlier Aug 22, 2023 03:34 (Santiago Time) | 48 km (30 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
1 day earlier Aug 22, 2023 08:53 (Santiago Time) | 19 km (12 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
20 hrs earlier Aug 22, 2023 14:22 (Santiago Time) | 24 km (15 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
12 hrs earlier Aug 22, 2023 22:18 (Santiago Time) | 7 km (4 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Aug 23, 2023 10:02 (Santiago Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
10 hrs later Aug 23, 2023 20:18 (Santiago Time) | 94 km (59 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
13 hrs later Aug 23, 2023 23:20 (Santiago Time) | 22 km (14 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
15 hrs later Aug 24, 2023 01:28 (Santiago Time) | 87 km (54 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
1 day later Aug 24, 2023 11:52 (Santiago Time) | 63 km (39 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
1 day later Aug 24, 2023 13:09 (Santiago Time) | 21 km (13 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
1 day later Aug 24, 2023 15:47 (Santiago Time) | 47 km (29 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
1 day later Aug 24, 2023 18:18 (Santiago Time) | 96 km (60 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
2 days later Aug 25, 2023 00:13 (Santiago Time) | 40 km (25 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.6 |
2 days later Aug 25, 2023 06:39 (Santiago Time) | 15 km (10 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
3 days later Aug 25, 2023 23:22 (Santiago Time) | 83 km (52 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
3 days later Aug 26, 2023 01:22 (Santiago Time) | 28 km (18 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.9 |
3 days later Aug 26, 2023 08:10 (Santiago Time) | 69 km (43 mi) N from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since May 30th, 2023, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 161 km (100 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck on April 1st, 2014.
In total, 117 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every month.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 85 km (53 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 22/10/23 08:37 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000kqbg
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20230823_0000108
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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