A shallow and significant M5.3 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 111 kilometer from Temuco, Chile deep in the night of Saturday December 7th, 2024. Another nearby country is Argentina.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 51 kilometers (31 mi) off the coast of Chile, 111 kilometer west of Temuco in Araucanía. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 18 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 7, 2024 03:26 (Santiago Time) - Dec 7, 2024 06:26 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 111 km west of Temuco, Araucanía, Chile. Coordinates 38°54'33"S 73°51'36"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 33 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.054 . |
| Depth: | 18 km (11 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 Argentina are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Located 81 kilometer (50 mi) west-southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Nueva Imperial (Araucanía, Chile) is the nearest significant population center.
Major cities near this earthquake: Temuco is located 111 km to the east. Valdivia is located 114 km to the south-southeast. Talcahuano is located 252 km to the north-northeast.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 81 km (50 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Nueva Imperial Araucanía, Chile. |
| 111 km (69 mi) E from epicenter |
Temuco Araucanía, Chile. |
| 114 km (71 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Valdivia Los Ríos Region, Chile. |
| 114 km (71 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Las Animas Los Ríos Region, Chile. |
| 118 km (73 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Loncoche Araucanía, Chile. |
| 130 km (81 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Lautaro Araucanía, Chile. |
| 130 km (81 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Cañete Biobío, Chile. |
| 146 km (91 mi) N from epicenter |
Lebu Biobío, Chile. |
| 147 km (91 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Villarrica Araucanía, Chile. |
| 153 km (95 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Victoria Araucanía, Chile. |
| 155 km (96 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Panguipulli Los Ríos Region, Chile. |
| 159 km (99 mi) NE from epicenter |
Angol Araucanía, Chile. |
| 163 km (101 mi) NE from epicenter |
Collipulli Araucanía, Chile. |
| 165 km (103 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Curanilahue Biobío, Chile. |
| 168 km (104 mi) SSE from epicenter |
La Unión Los Ríos Region, Chile. |
| 170 km (106 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Pucón Araucanía, Chile. |
| 176 km (109 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Río Bueno Los Ríos Region, Chile. |
| 188 km (117 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Nacimiento Biobío, Chile. |
| 191 km (119 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Arauco Biobío, Chile. |
| 194 km (121 mi) NE from epicenter |
Mulchén Biobío, Chile. |
| 195 km (121 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Osorno Los Lagos Region, Chile. |
| 207 km (129 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Laja Biobío, Chile. |
| 207 km (129 mi) NE from epicenter |
Los Ángeles Biobío, Chile. |
| 211 km (131 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Lota Biobío, Chile. |
| 218 km (135 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Coronel Biobío, Chile. |
| 232 km (144 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Chiguayante Biobío, Chile. |
| 242 km (150 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Concepción Biobío, Chile. |
| 244 km (152 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Cabrero Biobío, Chile. |
| 252 km (157 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Talcahuano Biobío, Chile. |
| 253 km (157 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Penco Biobío, Chile. |
| 256 km (159 mi) ESE from epicenter |
San Martín de los Andes Neuquen, Argentina. |
| 267 km (166 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Tomé Biobío, Chile. |
| 278 km (173 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Puerto Varas Los Lagos Region, Chile. |
| 295 km (183 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Puerto Montt Los Lagos Region, Chile. |
| 299 km (186 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Chillán Ñuble, Chile. |
Shaking reported by 38 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 38 people have reported shaking in 9 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:
- Valdivia, Los Lagos, Chile: 14 people.
- Temuco, Araucanía, Chile: 8 people.
- Villarrica, Araucanía, Chile: 5 people.
- Carahue, Araucanía, Chile: 3 people.
- Nueva Imperial, Araucanía, Chile: 3 people.
- Santiago, Metropolitana, Chile: 2 people.
- Pitrufquén, Araucanía, Chile: 1 person.
- Los Angeles, Bío Bío, Chile: 1 person.
- Río Bueno, Los Lagos, Chile: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
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.
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 December 24th, 2023, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 93 km (58 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on December 27th, 2020.
In total, 15 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 8 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 18 km (11 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 18/12/24 07:18 (). 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 us7000nwtv
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241207_0000074
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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