A significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck under land 13 kilometer from Coquimbo in Chile in the evening of Tuesday March 18th, 2025. Another nearby country is Argentina.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Chile, 13 kilometer (8 mi) south-southeast of Coquimbo in Coquimbo Region. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 68 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Mar 18, 2025 18:17 (Santiago Time) - Mar 18, 2025 21:17 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 13 km SSE of Coquimbo, Coquimbo Region, Chile. Coordinates 30°3'57"S 71°17'38"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 21 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.068 . |
| Depth: | 68 km (42 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 (8 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
2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Chile and Argentina .
Coquimbo in Coquimbo Region, Chile is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 13 kilometer (8 mi) south-southeast of Coquimbo.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 13 km (8 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Coquimbo Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 18 km (11 mi) NNE from epicenter |
La Serena Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 60 km (37 mi) S from epicenter |
Ovalle Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 174 km (108 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Vallenar Atacama, Chile. |
| 175 km (109 mi) S from epicenter |
Illapel Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 246 km (153 mi) E from epicenter |
San José de Jáchal San Juan, Argentina. |
| 265 km (165 mi) S from epicenter |
La Ligua Valparaíso, Chile. |
Shaking reported by 17 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 17 people have reported shaking in 5 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: 11 people.
- Coquimbo, Coquimbo, Chile: 2 people.
- Santiago, Metropolitana, Chile: 2 people.
- Ovalle, Coquimbo, Chile: 1 person.
- Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, Chile: 1 person.
9 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 9 smaller aftershocks. A 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day later 7 km (4 mi) east of this earthquake.
In the days before this main shock, 6 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 3.3 magnitude earthquake hit 22 hrs earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
3 days earlier Mar 15, 2025 21:45 (Santiago Time) | 51 km (31 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
3 days earlier Mar 15, 2025 22:19 (Santiago Time) | 36 km (23 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.8 |
2 days earlier Mar 16, 2025 15:26 (Santiago Time) | 67 km (42 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.3 |
22 hrs earlier Mar 17, 2025 19:49 (Santiago Time) | 69 km (43 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.8 |
22 hrs earlier Mar 17, 2025 20:19 (Santiago Time) | 98 km (61 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
18 hrs earlier Mar 18, 2025 00:14 (Santiago Time) | 83 km (52 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Mar 18, 2025 18:17 (Santiago Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
35 mins later Mar 18, 2025 18:52 (Santiago Time) | 13 km (8 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.9 |
3 hrs later Mar 18, 2025 21:12 (Santiago Time) | 3 km (2.1 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
13 hrs later Mar 19, 2025 07:25 (Santiago Time) | 68 km (42 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
1 day later Mar 19, 2025 21:32 (Santiago Time) | 91 km (57 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
1 day later Mar 20, 2025 01:35 (Santiago Time) | 7 km (4 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
2 days later Mar 20, 2025 14:36 (Santiago Time) | 91 km (56 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
2 days later Mar 21, 2025 04:46 (Santiago Time) | 11 km (7 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
3 days later Mar 21, 2025 09:42 (Santiago Time) | 40 km (25 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
3 days later Mar 21, 2025 10:09 (Santiago Time) | 24 km (15 mi) S 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 December 30th, 2024, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 69 km (43 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck on September 16th, 2015.
In total, 133 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 27 days.
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 (8 km from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 68 km (42 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 26/03/25 00:28 (). 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 us6000pzn5
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250318_0000251
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
