In the evening of Sunday August 18th, 2024, a shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 75 kilometer from Talcahuano, Chile.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 26 kilometers (16 mi) off the coast of Chile, 75 kilometer west-southwest of Talcahuano in Biobío. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 9 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Aug 18, 2024 19:32 (Santiago Time) - Aug 18, 2024 23:32 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 75 km WSW of Talcahuano, Biobío, Chile. Coordinates 37°4'36"S 73°50'23"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 23 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 . |
| Depth: | 9 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Chile . Located 50 kilometer (31 mi) west-northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Arauco (Biobío, Chile) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Talcahuano is located 75 km to the east-northeast. Concepción is located 75 km to the east-northeast. Temuco is located 215 km to the south-southeast.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 50 km (31 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Arauco Biobío, Chile. |
| 61 km (38 mi) E from epicenter |
Lota Biobío, Chile. |
| 61 km (38 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Lebu Biobío, Chile. |
| 62 km (39 mi) E from epicenter |
Coronel Biobío, Chile. |
| 63 km (39 mi) SE from epicenter |
Curanilahue Biobío, Chile. |
| 74 km (46 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Chiguayante Biobío, Chile. |
| 75 km (47 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Talcahuano Biobío, Chile. |
| 75 km (47 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Concepción Biobío, Chile. |
| 84 km (52 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Penco Biobío, Chile. |
| 90 km (56 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Cañete Biobío, Chile. |
| 94 km (58 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Tomé Biobío, Chile. |
| 103 km (64 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Laja Biobío, Chile. |
| 114 km (71 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Nacimiento Biobío, Chile. |
| 127 km (79 mi) SE from epicenter |
Angol Araucanía, Chile. |
| 127 km (79 mi) E from epicenter |
Cabrero Biobío, Chile. |
| 139 km (86 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Los Ángeles Biobío, Chile. |
| 158 km (98 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Mulchén Biobío, Chile. |
| 158 km (98 mi) SE from epicenter |
Collipulli Araucanía, Chile. |
| 163 km (101 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Chillán Ñuble, Chile. |
| 183 km (114 mi) ENE from epicenter |
San Carlos Ñuble, Chile. |
| 183 km (114 mi) NE from epicenter |
Cauquenes Maule Region, Chile. |
| 185 km (115 mi) SE from epicenter |
Victoria Araucanía, Chile. |
| 201 km (125 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Nueva Imperial Araucanía, Chile. |
| 203 km (126 mi) SE from epicenter |
Lautaro Araucanía, Chile. |
| 208 km (129 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Parral Maule Region, Chile. |
| 215 km (134 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Temuco Araucanía, Chile. |
| 232 km (144 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Constitución Maule Region, Chile. |
| 243 km (151 mi) NE from epicenter |
Linares Maule Region, Chile. |
| 251 km (156 mi) NE from epicenter |
San Javier Maule Region, Chile. |
| 268 km (167 mi) NE from epicenter |
Talca Maule Region, Chile. |
| 276 km (171 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Loncoche Araucanía, Chile. |
| 283 km (176 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Villarrica Araucanía, Chile. |
| 295 km (183 mi) SE from epicenter |
Pucón Araucanía, Chile. |
Shaking reported by 14 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 14 people have reported shaking in 7 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: 6 people.
- Angol, Araucanía, Chile: 2 people.
- Talcahuano, Bío Bío, Chile: 2 people.
- Arauco, Bío Bío, Chile: 1 person.
- Cabrero, Bío Bío, Chile: 1 person.
- Coronel, Bío Bío, Chile: 1 person.
- Penco, Bío Bío, Chile: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 18 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.3
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.3 |
18 hrs earlier Aug 18, 2024 01:57 (Santiago Time) | 73 km (46 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Aug 18, 2024 19:32 (Santiago Time) | - |
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.
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 111 km (69 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on December 27th, 2020.
In total, 28 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.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so 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 under 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 9 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 16/09/24 01:38 (). 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 us7000n7us
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240818_0000258
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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