Under land 12 kilometer from Chiguayante in Chile, a significant Magnitude 5.2 earthquake occurred in the morning of Wednesday April 3rd, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Chile, 12 kilometer (7 mi) east-southeast of Chiguayante in Biobío. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 36 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Apr 3, 2024 10:51 (Santiago Time) - Apr 3, 2024 13:51 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 12 km ESE of Chiguayante, Biobío, Chile. Coordinates 36°57'44"S 72°53'46"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 13 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.086 . |
| Depth: | 36 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (24 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Chile . Located 12 kilometer (7 mi) east-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Chiguayante (Biobío, Chile) is the nearest significant population center.
Major cities near this earthquake: Concepción is located 20 km to the northwest. Talcahuano is located 33 km to the northwest. Chillán is located 81 km to the east-northeast.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 12 km (7 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Chiguayante Biobío, Chile. |
| 20 km (12 mi) NW from epicenter |
Concepción Biobío, Chile. |
| 23 km (14 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Coronel Biobío, Chile. |
| 26 km (16 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Penco Biobío, Chile. |
| 27 km (17 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Lota Biobío, Chile. |
| 33 km (21 mi) NW from epicenter |
Talcahuano Biobío, Chile. |
| 39 km (24 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Laja Biobío, Chile. |
| 39 km (24 mi) N from epicenter |
Tomé Biobío, Chile. |
| 44 km (27 mi) E from epicenter |
Cabrero Biobío, Chile. |
| 49 km (30 mi) SW from epicenter |
Arauco Biobío, Chile. |
| 63 km (39 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Nacimiento Biobío, Chile. |
| 70 km (43 mi) SW from epicenter |
Curanilahue Biobío, Chile. |
| 74 km (46 mi) SE from epicenter |
Los Ángeles Biobío, Chile. |
| 81 km (50 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Chillán Ñuble, Chile. |
| 94 km (58 mi) S from epicenter |
Angol Araucanía, Chile. |
| 98 km (61 mi) SW from epicenter |
Lebu Biobío, Chile. |
| 102 km (63 mi) SE from epicenter |
Mulchén Biobío, Chile. |
| 103 km (64 mi) NE from epicenter |
San Carlos Ñuble, Chile. |
| 103 km (64 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Cañete Biobío, Chile. |
| 118 km (73 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Collipulli Araucanía, Chile. |
| 122 km (76 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Cauquenes Maule Region, Chile. |
| 132 km (82 mi) NE from epicenter |
Parral Maule Region, Chile. |
| 150 km (93 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Victoria Araucanía, Chile. |
| 170 km (106 mi) NE from epicenter |
Linares Maule Region, Chile. |
| 179 km (111 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Lautaro Araucanía, Chile. |
| 185 km (115 mi) NE from epicenter |
San Javier Maule Region, Chile. |
| 186 km (116 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Constitución Maule Region, Chile. |
| 198 km (123 mi) S from epicenter |
Nueva Imperial Araucanía, Chile. |
| 199 km (124 mi) S from epicenter |
Temuco Araucanía, Chile. |
| 204 km (127 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Talca Maule Region, Chile. |
| 252 km (157 mi) NE from epicenter |
Molina Maule Region, Chile. |
| 265 km (165 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Villarrica Araucanía, Chile. |
| 266 km (165 mi) NE from epicenter |
Curicó Maule Region, Chile. |
| 268 km (167 mi) S from epicenter |
Loncoche Araucanía, Chile. |
| 271 km (168 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Pucón Araucanía, Chile. |
| 293 km (182 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Santa Cruz O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
Shaking reported by 59 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 59 people have reported shaking in 13 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:
- Concepción, Bío Bío, Chile: 31 people.
- Temuco, Araucanía, Chile: 4 people.
- Chiguayante, Bío Bío, Chile: 4 people.
- Los Angeles, Bío Bío, Chile: 4 people.
- Vilcún, Araucanía, Chile: 3 people.
- Talcahuano, Bío Bío, Chile: 3 people.
- Santiago, Metropolitana, Chile: 3 people.
- Penco, Bío Bío, Chile: 2 people.
- Angol, Araucanía, Chile: 1 person.
- Bulnes, Bío Bío, Chile: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. Roughly 4 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-2.7 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
4 hrs earlier Apr 3, 2024 06:31 (Santiago Time) | 95 km (59 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Apr 3, 2024 10:51 (Santiago Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
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 December 24th, 2023, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 152 km (94 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on September 29th, 2019.
In total, 31 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 4 months.
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 | This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (24 km from the sea). | 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 36 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 02/05/24 17:08 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000m9lk
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240403_0000175
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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