In the morning of Tuesday September 24th, 2024, a significant M5.2 earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 178 kilometer from Copiapó, Chile.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 31 kilometers (19 mi) off the coast of Chile, 178 kilometer north-northwest of Copiapó in Atacama. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 54 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Sep 24, 2024 11:24 (Santiago Time) - Sep 24, 2024 14:24 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 178 km NNW of Copiapó, Atacama, Chile. Coordinates 25°52'43"S 71°0'12"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 30 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.057 . |
| Depth: | 54 km (33 mi) A quite 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 . Diego de Almagro in Atacama, Chile is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 111 kilometer (69 mi) west-northwest of Diego de Almagro.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 111 km (69 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Diego de Almagro Atacama, Chile. |
| 178 km (111 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Copiapó Atacama, Chile. |
| 255 km (158 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Antofagasta Antofagasta, Chile. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in 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:
- Taltal, Antofagasta, Chile: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
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 February 11th, 2024, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 265 km (164 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on September 1st, 2020.
In total, 30 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 54 km (33 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 18/10/24 03:18 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000nu2l
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240924_0000152
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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