In the early morning of Monday May 5th, 2025, a shallow and significant MAG-5.3 earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 85 kilometer from Coquimbo, Chile.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 60 kilometers (37 mi) off the coast of Chile, 85 kilometer northwest of Coquimbo in Coquimbo Region. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 17 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | May 5, 2025 05:46 (Santiago Time) - May 5, 2025 09:46 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 85 km NW of Coquimbo, Coquimbo Region, Chile. Coordinates 29°26'1"S 71°58'44"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 486 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.026 . |
| Depth: | 17 km (11 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Chile . Located 85 kilometer (53 mi) northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Coquimbo (Coquimbo Region, Chile) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Coquimbo is located 85 km to the south-east. La Serena is located 88 km to the south-east. Copiapó is located 281 km to the north-east.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 85 km (53 mi) SE from epicenter |
Coquimbo Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 88 km (55 mi) SE from epicenter |
La Serena Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 150 km (93 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Ovalle Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 152 km (94 mi) NE from epicenter |
Vallenar Atacama, Chile. |
| 257 km (160 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Illapel Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 281 km (175 mi) NE from epicenter |
Copiapó Atacama, Chile. |
Shaking reported by 6 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 6 people have reported shaking in 3 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: 3 people.
- Santiago, Metropolitana, Chile: 2 people.
- Vicuña, Coquimbo, Chile: 1 person.
5 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 5 smaller aftershocks. A 3.1 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day later 10 km (6 mi) east-southeast of this earthquake.
In the days before this main shock, 6 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.8 |
3 days earlier May 2, 2025 11:24 (Santiago Time) | 58 km (36 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
3 days earlier May 2, 2025 11:54 (Santiago Time) | 66 km (41 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.3 |
3 days earlier May 2, 2025 15:28 (Santiago Time) | 75 km (47 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
2 days earlier May 2, 2025 22:46 (Santiago Time) | 37 km (23 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.8 |
2 days earlier May 2, 2025 23:52 (Santiago Time) | 59 km (37 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
2 days earlier May 3, 2025 12:19 (Santiago Time) | 59 km (37 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
May 5, 2025 05:46 (Santiago Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
10 hrs later May 5, 2025 15:47 (Santiago Time) | 85 km (53 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
23 hrs later May 6, 2025 04:50 (Santiago Time) | 95 km (59 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
1 day later May 6, 2025 08:24 (Santiago Time) | 10 km (6 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
2 days later May 7, 2025 17:09 (Santiago Time) | 68 km (42 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.9 |
3 days later May 8, 2025 00:04 (Santiago Time) | 89 km (55 mi) S 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.
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 March 18th, 2025, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 97 km (60 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck on September 16th, 2015.
In total, 125 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 29 days.
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 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 17 km (11 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 19/05/25 11:28 (). 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 us7000px85
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250505_0000123
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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