M4.3 Earthquake struck on Thursday Evening near Chillán in Chile.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 7th, 2024. Last updated November 14th, 2024.

A MAG-4.3 earthquake struck under land 29 kilometer from Chillán in Chile in the evening of Thursday November 7th, 2024. Around 3.3 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Chile, 29 kilometer (18 mi) southwest of Chillán in Ñuble. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 68 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Nov 7, 2024 19:10 (Santiago Time) - Nov 7, 2024 22:10 Universal Time.
Location:	29 km SW of Chillán, Ñuble, Chile. Coordinates 36°46'29"S 72°20'56"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.3 Detected by 4 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.265 .
Depth:	68 km (42 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
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.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 3.3 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 3.3 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 93,690 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 2.1 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Chile , around 3.3 million people, with impact levels up to IV (light shaking, likely no damage). In Argentina, shaking was experienced too.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Chile . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Chillán in Ñuble, Chile. Chillán is located 29 kilometer (18 mi) southwest of the epicenter. Chillán experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Chillán is located 29 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Talcahuano is located 69 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Concepción is located 63 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Risk of aftershocks?

We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

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 November 3rd, 2024, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 281 km (174 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on August 1st, 2019.

In total, 459 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.3 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 8 days.

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

Sources

Last updated 14/11/24 21:48 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nqii
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241107_0000235
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: