A significant Magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 95 kilometer from Diego de Almagro, Chile in the afternoon of Tuesday February 18th, 2025. Around 240 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 36 kilometers (22 mi) off the coast of Chile, 95 kilometer west of Diego de Almagro in Atacama. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 31 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Feb 18, 2025 14:18 (Santiago Time) - Feb 18, 2025 17:18 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 95 km west of Diego de Almagro, Atacama, Chile. Coordinates 26°15'14"S 70°58'60"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.7 Detected by 30 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.057 . |
| Depth: | 31 km (19 mi) A quite 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 240 thousand people exposed to shaking
The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 240 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.
The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 16,770 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 220 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.
People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 240 thousand 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.
| People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | I |
Not noticable | None |
| 1,960 | II |
Very weak | None |
| 220,600 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
| 16,770 | IV |
Light | Likely none |
| 0 | V |
Moderate | Very light |
| 0 | VI |
Strong | Light |
| 0 | VII |
Very Strong | Moderate |
| 0 | VIII |
Severe | Moderate to heavy |
| 0 | IX |
Violent | Heavy |
| 0 | X |
Extreme | Very heavy |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Chile . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Diego de Almagro in Atacama, Chile. Diego de Almagro is located 95 kilometer (59 mi) west of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Diego de Almagro is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place | Intensity (MMI) |
|---|---|---|
| 95 km (59 mi) E from epicenter |
Diego de Almagro Atacama, Chile. |
III
Weak |
| 140 km (87 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Copiapó Atacama, Chile. |
III
Weak |
| 259 km (161 mi) S from epicenter |
Vallenar Atacama, Chile. |
|
| 295 km (183 mi) N from epicenter |
Antofagasta Antofagasta, Chile. |
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.
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:
- Taltal, Antofagasta, Chile: 1 person.
3 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 3 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 12 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.1 was detected 9 km (6 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.7 |
Feb 18, 2025 14:18 (Santiago Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
10 hrs later Feb 18, 2025 23:49 (Santiago Time) | 22 km (14 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
12 hrs later Feb 19, 2025 02:40 (Santiago Time) | 9 km (6 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
1 day later Feb 19, 2025 19:07 (Santiago Time) | 39 km (24 mi) NNE from 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.
The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk
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 February 14th, 2024, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 296 km (184 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on September 1st, 2020.
In total, 14 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 9 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 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 31 km (19 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 27/03/25 01:48 (). 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 us7000peiq
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250218_0000234
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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