A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 57 kilometer from Iquique, Chile in the night of Tuesday October 1st, 2024. Peru is also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 60 kilometers (37 mi) off the coast of Chile, 57 kilometer west of Iquique in Tarapacá. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 22 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Oct 1, 2024 02:01 (Santiago Time) - Oct 1, 2024 05:01 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 57 km west of Iquique, Tarapacá, Chile. Coordinates 20°11'43"S 70°41'54"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 22 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 . |
| Depth: | 22 km (14 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
Chile and Peru are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Iquique in Tarapacá, Chile is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 57 kilometer (35 mi) west of Iquique.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Iquique is located 57 km to the east. Alto Hospicio is located 62 km to the east. Tacna is located 247 km to the north.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 57 km (35 mi) E from epicenter |
Iquique Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 58 km (36 mi) E from epicenter |
Cavancha Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 59 km (37 mi) E from epicenter |
Goméz Carreño Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 59 km (37 mi) E from epicenter |
Caupolicán Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 59 km (37 mi) E from epicenter |
Playa Brava Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 60 km (37 mi) E from epicenter |
La Tirana Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 62 km (39 mi) E from epicenter |
Alto Hospicio Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 196 km (122 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Arica Arica y Parinacota, Chile. |
| 217 km (135 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Tocopilla Antofagasta, Chile. |
| 247 km (153 mi) N from epicenter |
Tacna Tacna, Peru. |
| 293 km (182 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Ilo Moquegua, Peru. |
Shaking reported by 16 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 16 people have reported shaking in 2 places 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:
- Iquique, Tarapacá, Chile: 15 people.
- Arica, Tarapacá, 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 4.1
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.1 |
18 hrs earlier Sep 30, 2024 08:14 (Santiago Time) | 17 km (11 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Oct 1, 2024 02:01 (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 March 13th, 2024, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 233 km (145 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck on March 23rd, 2015.
In total, 44 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 3 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 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 22 km (14 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 04/10/24 03:58 (). 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 us7000nhdc
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241001_0000032
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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