A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 158 kilometer from Copiapó, Chile in the afternoon of Tuesday February 18th, 2025. Around 230 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 59 kilometers (37 mi) off the coast of Chile, 158 kilometer northwest of Copiapó in Atacama. 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: | Feb 18, 2025 14:18 (Santiago Time) - Feb 18, 2025 17:18 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 158 km NW of Copiapó, Atacama, Chile. Coordinates 26°10'56"S 71°12'8"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.6 Detected by 22 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 . |
| 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 68% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 98% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.
Roughly 230 thousand people exposed to shaking
This earthquake may have been felt by around 230 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.
An estimated 5,620 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. 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. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Chile .
| People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | I |
Not noticable | None |
| 3,940 | II |
Very weak | None |
| 224,700 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
| 5,620 | 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 . Diego de Almagro in Atacama, Chile is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 118 kilometer (73 mi) west of Diego de Almagro. 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).
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
| Distance | Place | Intensity (MMI) |
|---|---|---|
| 118 km (73 mi) E from epicenter |
Diego de Almagro Atacama, Chile. |
III
Weak |
| 158 km (98 mi) SE from epicenter |
Copiapó Atacama, Chile. |
III
Weak |
| 270 km (168 mi) S from epicenter |
Vallenar Atacama, Chile. |
|
| 293 km (182 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Antofagasta Antofagasta, Chile. |
Earthquake Intensity Map
The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured 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.
4 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 4 smaller aftershocks. Just 2 sec after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5.6 was detected 48 km (30 mi) east of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.6 |
Feb 18, 2025 14:18 (Santiago Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 5.6 |
2 sec later Feb 18, 2025 14:18 (Santiago Time) | 48 km (30 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.9 |
10 hrs later Feb 18, 2025 23:49 (Santiago Time) | 40 km (25 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
12 hrs later Feb 19, 2025 02:40 (Santiago Time) | 21 km (13 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
1 day later Feb 19, 2025 19:07 (Santiago Time) | 44 km (27 mi) NE 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 31st, 2023, when a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit 287 km (178 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on September 1st, 2020.
In total, 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.6 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 7 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 5.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 20/02/25 18:58 (). 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 us7000peiq
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
