Written by on . Last updated February 16th, 2025.

Under land 113 kilometer from Arica in Chile, a significant MAG-5.3 earthquake occurred in the morning of Friday January 24th, 2025. Peru and Bolivia are also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Chile, 113 kilometer (70 mi) east-northeast of Arica in Arica y Parinacota. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 123 km.

Date and Time: Jan 24, 2025 11:19 (Lima Time)
- Jan 24, 2025 16:19 Universal Time.
Location: 99 km east of Tacna, Peru.
Coordinates 18°4'4"S 69°18'53"W.
Map: Map of area around epicenter.
Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude: MAG 5.3
Detected by 16 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.078 .
Depth: 123 km (76 mi)
An intermediate depth.
Tsunami Risk: Tsunami very unlikely
Tsunami's are usually caused by MAG-6.5+ earthquakes, less than 100km shallow, and with an epicenter under sea. Neither of this seems to be the case.
Always stay cautious - More info here.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Peru , Chile and Bolivia are all within 300km distance of its epicenter.

Tacna in Tacna, Peru is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 99 kilometer (62 mi) east of Tacna.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. La Paz is located 214 km to the north-east. Tacna is located 99 km to the west. Arica is located 113 km to the west-southwest.

A complete list of nearby places is included below.

Overview of nearby places

Distance Place
99 km (62 mi)
W from epicenter
Tacna

Tacna, Peru.
113 km (70 mi)
WSW from epicenter
Arica

Arica y Parinacota, Chile.
191 km (119 mi)
NE from epicenter
Viacha

La Paz, Bolivia.
195 km (121 mi)
WNW from epicenter
San Antonio

Moquegua, Peru.
197 km (122 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Moquegua

Moquegua, Peru.
197 km (122 mi)
NNE from epicenter
Laja

La Paz, Bolivia.
204 km (127 mi)
N from epicenter
Yunguyo

Puno, Peru.
205 km (127 mi)
NE from epicenter
Achocalla

La Paz, Bolivia.
214 km (133 mi)
NE from epicenter
La Paz

La Paz, Bolivia.
220 km (137 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Ilo

Moquegua, Peru.
224 km (139 mi)
N from epicenter
Ilave

Puno, Peru.
229 km (142 mi)
E from epicenter
Oruro

Oruro, Bolivia.
254 km (158 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Iquique

Tarapacá, Chile.
255 km (158 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Caupolicán

Tarapacá, Chile.
256 km (159 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Cavancha

Tarapacá, Chile.
256 km (159 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Goméz Carreño

Tarapacá, Chile.
257 km (160 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Playa Brava

Tarapacá, Chile.
258 km (160 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Alto Hospicio

Tarapacá, Chile.
259 km (161 mi)
NNW from epicenter
Puno

Puno, Peru.
261 km (162 mi)
SSW from epicenter
La Tirana

Tarapacá, Chile.
263 km (163 mi)
E from epicenter
Huanuni

Oruro, Bolivia.
291 km (181 mi)
E from epicenter
Llallagua

Potosí, Bolivia.
297 km (185 mi)
NW from epicenter
Ciudad Satelite

Arequipa, Peru.
299 km (186 mi)
NW from epicenter
Jacobo Hunter

Arequipa, Peru.
299 km (186 mi)
NNW from epicenter
Juliaca

Puno, Peru.
Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.

Shaking reported by 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in 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:

  • Iquique, Tarapacá, Chile: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Roughly 3 days 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 4.1 3 days earlier
Jan 21, 2025 23:01 (Lima Time)
46 km (29 mi)
N from Main Shock.
Main Shock
This Earthquake
M 5.3 Jan 24, 2025 11:19
(Lima Time)
-
Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.

More earthquakes coming?

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.

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 276 km (172 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck on March 23rd, 2015.

In total, 35 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 3 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

It is very unlikely that this eartquake will cause any tsunami's. The reported magnitude is lower than the MAG-6.5 strength required to cause any earthquakes. In addition, this earthquake was not very shallow and appears to have occurred under land. 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 Not this earthquake.
This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.
Not this earthquake.
This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.
Not this earthquake.
This earthquake occurred at a depth of 123 km (76 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 16/02/25 01:18 (). 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 us6000pm4b
  2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250124_0000190
  3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
  4. Google Maps: Static API
  5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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