On Monday Night a Shallow M5.5 Earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean near Coquimbo (Chile).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 30th, 2024. Last updated January 2nd, 2025.

A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 69 kilometer from Coquimbo, Chile in the night of Monday December 30th, 2024. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 0.8 million people.

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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, 69 kilometer west of Coquimbo in Coquimbo Region. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 30, 2024 02:40 (Santiago Time) - Dec 30, 2024 05:40 Universal Time.
Location:	69 km west of Coquimbo, Coquimbo Region, Chile. Coordinates 29°55'54"S 72°3'27"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 344 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.032 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually 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 0.8 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 0.8 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 477,500 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 0.8 million people were exposed to shaking in Chile , with level IV (light shaking, likely no damage) as the highest recorded. Shaking was experienced by inhabitants of Argentina too.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Chile . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Coquimbo in Coquimbo Region, Chile. Coquimbo is located 69 kilometer (43 mi) west of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Coquimbo is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely 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

Shaking reported by 7 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 7 people have reported shaking in 3 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: 3 people.
• Coquimbo, Coquimbo, Chile: 2 people.
• Vicuña, Coquimbo, Chile: 2 people.

32 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 32 smaller aftershocks. Just 18 sec after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5.5 was detected 8 km (5 mi) east-southeast of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 3.7 magnitude earthquake hit 14 hrs earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

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 September 6th, 2024, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 276 km (171 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck on September 16th, 2015.

In total, 95 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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 month.

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

Sources

Last updated 02/01/25 05:38 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000pget
2. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
3. Google Maps: Static API
4. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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