Under land 22 kilometer from Ovalle in Chile, a significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred in the morning of Tuesday November 26th, 2024. Argentina is also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Chile, 22 kilometer (14 mi) northwest of Ovalle in Coquimbo Region. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 51 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 26, 2024 09:33 (Santiago Time) - Nov 26, 2024 12:33 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 22 km NW of Ovalle, Coquimbo Region, Chile. Coordinates 30°27'4"S 71°21'17"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 11 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.093 . |
| Depth: | 51 km (32 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 struck within proximity of multiple countries. Chile and Argentina are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.
Located 22 kilometer (14 mi) northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Ovalle (Coquimbo Region, Chile) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Coquimbo is located 55 km to the north. La Serena is located 62 km to the north. San Juan is located 295 km to the east-southeast.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 22 km (14 mi) SE from epicenter |
Ovalle Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 55 km (34 mi) N from epicenter |
Coquimbo Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 62 km (39 mi) N from epicenter |
La Serena Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 133 km (83 mi) S from epicenter |
Illapel Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 216 km (134 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Vallenar Atacama, Chile. |
| 223 km (139 mi) S from epicenter |
La Ligua Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 251 km (156 mi) E from epicenter |
San José de Jáchal San Juan, Argentina. |
| 260 km (162 mi) S from epicenter |
Hacienda La Calera Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 262 km (163 mi) SSE from epicenter |
San Felipe Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 268 km (167 mi) S from epicenter |
Llaillay Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 271 km (168 mi) S from epicenter |
Quillota Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 274 km (170 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Los Andes Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 285 km (177 mi) S from epicenter |
Limache Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 287 km (178 mi) S from epicenter |
Viña del Mar Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 288 km (179 mi) S from epicenter |
Villa Alemana Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 289 km (180 mi) S from epicenter |
Valparaíso Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 289 km (180 mi) S from epicenter |
Quilpué Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 291 km (181 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Albardón San Juan, Argentina. |
| 292 km (181 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Chimbas San Juan, Argentina. |
| 292 km (181 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Villa Paula de Sarmiento San Juan, Argentina. |
| 295 km (183 mi) ESE from epicenter |
San Juan San Juan, Argentina. |
| 297 km (185 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Pocito San Juan, Argentina. |
| 298 km (185 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Santa Lucía San Juan, Argentina. |
Shaking reported by 5 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 5 people have reported shaking in 4 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:
- La Serena, Coquimbo, Chile: 2 people.
- Coquimbo, Coquimbo, Chile: 1 person.
- Vicuña, Coquimbo, Chile: 1 person.
- Santiago, Metropolitana, Chile: 1 person.
6 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 6 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 60 km (37 mi) south-southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 22 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 3.6
In the days before this main shock, 5 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 15 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.1 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
2 days earlier Nov 24, 2024 19:40 (Santiago Time) | 34 km (21 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
2 days earlier Nov 24, 2024 20:52 (Santiago Time) | 38 km (24 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
1 day earlier Nov 24, 2024 23:51 (Santiago Time) | 26 km (16 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.1 |
15 hrs earlier Nov 25, 2024 18:59 (Santiago Time) | 66 km (41 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
14 hrs earlier Nov 25, 2024 19:50 (Santiago Time) | 55 km (34 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Nov 26, 2024 09:33 (Santiago Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
6 hrs later Nov 26, 2024 15:06 (Santiago Time) | 36 km (23 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.6 |
22 hrs later Nov 27, 2024 07:44 (Santiago Time) | 60 km (37 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
1 day later Nov 27, 2024 11:32 (Santiago Time) | 72 km (45 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
2 days later Nov 28, 2024 00:37 (Santiago Time) | 15 km (9 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
2 days later Nov 28, 2024 14:44 (Santiago Time) | 54 km (33 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.2 |
3 days later Nov 29, 2024 07:38 (Santiago Time) | 49 km (30 mi) S from Main Shock. |
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.
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.
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 October 20th, 2024, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 256 km (159 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck on September 16th, 2015.
In total, 171 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 21 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
| 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 51 km (32 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 03/12/24 12:28 (). 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 us7000nu8n
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241126_0000131
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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