A significant MAG-5.2 earthquake struck under land 14 kilometer from Iquique in Chile in the night of Wednesday December 18th, 2024. Another nearby country is Peru.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Chile, 14 kilometer (9 mi) east of Iquique in Tarapacá. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 59 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 18, 2024 01:09 (Santiago Time) - Dec 18, 2024 04:09 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 14 km east of Iquique, Tarapacá, Chile. Coordinates 20°12'33"S 70°0'53"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 22 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 . |
| Depth: | 59 km (36 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 (13 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 Peru are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.
The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Alto Hospicio in Tarapacá, Chile. Alto Hospicio is located 12 kilometer (7 mi) north-east of the epicenter.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Iquique is located 14 km to the west. Alto Hospicio is located 12 km to the southwest. Tacna is located 245 km to the north.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 12 km (7 mi) SW from epicenter |
Alto Hospicio Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 13 km (8 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Goméz Carreño Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 13 km (8 mi) W from epicenter |
Caupolicán Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 13 km (8 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Playa Brava Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 14 km (9 mi) W from epicenter |
Iquique Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 14 km (9 mi) SW from epicenter |
La Tirana Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 14 km (9 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Cavancha Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 195 km (121 mi) N from epicenter |
Arica Arica y Parinacota, Chile. |
| 210 km (130 mi) S from epicenter |
Tocopilla Antofagasta, Chile. |
| 245 km (152 mi) N from epicenter |
Tacna Tacna, Peru. |
| 274 km (170 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Calama Antofagasta, Chile. |
Shaking reported by 54 people in 2 countries
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 54 people have reported shaking in 4 places in 2 countries (Chile, Peru).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: 48 people.
- Arica, Tarapacá, Chile: 4 people.
- Calama, Antofagasta, Chile: 1 person.
- Lima, Lima Provincias, Peru: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. A 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit 12 hrs later 99 km (62 mi) north-northeast of this earthquake.
In the days before this main shock, 4 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 2.7 magnitude earthquake hit 15 hrs earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
3 days earlier Dec 15, 2024 06:05 (Santiago Time) | 96 km (60 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
1 day earlier Dec 16, 2024 14:11 (Santiago Time) | 89 km (55 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
15 hrs earlier Dec 17, 2024 10:34 (Santiago Time) | 96 km (59 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
9 hrs earlier Dec 17, 2024 16:30 (Santiago Time) | 91 km (56 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Dec 18, 2024 01:09 (Santiago Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
12 hrs later Dec 18, 2024 12:39 (Santiago Time) | 99 km (62 mi) NNE 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.
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 October 1st, 2024, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 72 km (45 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck on March 23rd, 2015.
In total, 54 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 2 months.
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 (13 km from 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 59 km (36 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 21/12/24 03:38 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nzpr
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241218_0000039
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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