In the night of Monday March 24th, 2025, a significant MAG-5.2 earthquake hit under land 24 kilometer from La Serena in Chile. Another country near the epicenter is Argentina.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Chile, 24 kilometer (15 mi) north of La Serena in Coquimbo Region. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 85 km.
| Date and Time: | Mar 24, 2025 01:35 (Santiago Time) - Mar 24, 2025 04:35 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 24 km north of La Serena, Coquimbo Region, Chile. Coordinates 29°41'12"S 71°12'53"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 17 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.075 . |
| Depth: | 85 km (53 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (10 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
Chile and Argentina are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Located 24 kilometer (15 mi) north of the epicenter of this earthquake, La Serena (Coquimbo Region, Chile) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. La Serena is located 24 km to the south. Coquimbo is located 32 km to the south-southwest. Copiapó is located 272 km to the north-northeast.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 24 km (15 mi) S from epicenter |
La Serena Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 32 km (20 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Coquimbo Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 102 km (63 mi) S from epicenter |
Ovalle Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 131 km (81 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Vallenar Atacama, Chile. |
| 217 km (135 mi) S from epicenter |
Illapel Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 246 km (153 mi) ESE from epicenter |
San José de Jáchal San Juan, Argentina. |
| 272 km (169 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Copiapó Atacama, Chile. |
Shaking reported by 14 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 14 people have reported shaking in 4 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: 8 people.
- Coquimbo, Coquimbo, Chile: 3 people.
- Vicuña, Coquimbo, Chile: 2 people.
- Copiapó, Atacama, Chile: 1 person.
6 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 6 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 42 km (26 mi) south of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 day later. It measured a magnitude of 3.4
Before this earthquake struck, 3 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 3.5 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.8 |
3 days earlier Mar 21, 2025 04:46 (Santiago Time) | 42 km (26 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
3 days earlier Mar 21, 2025 09:42 (Santiago Time) | 52 km (33 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.5 |
3 days earlier Mar 21, 2025 10:09 (Santiago Time) | 66 km (41 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Mar 24, 2025 01:35 (Santiago Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
1 hr later Mar 24, 2025 02:37 (Santiago Time) | 1.5 km (0.9 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
20 hrs later Mar 24, 2025 21:39 (Santiago Time) | 64 km (40 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
1 day later Mar 25, 2025 04:25 (Santiago Time) | 9 km (6 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
1 day later Mar 25, 2025 06:37 (Santiago Time) | 42 km (26 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
2 days later Mar 25, 2025 17:41 (Santiago Time) | 85 km (53 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
3 days later Mar 26, 2025 23:59 (Santiago Time) | 97 km (60 mi) N from Main Shock. |
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.
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 March 18th, 2025, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 43 km (27 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck on September 16th, 2015.
In total, 134 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 (10 km from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 85 km (53 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 27/03/25 23:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000pm5f
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250324_0000045
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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