Strong M6.4 Earthquake struck on Friday Afternoon near Copiapó in Chile.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on June 6th, 2025. Last updated June 17th, 2025.

A strong M6.4 earthquake struck under land 81 kilometer from Copiapó in Chile in the early afternoon of Friday June 6th, 2025. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Chile, 81 kilometer (50 mi) north of Copiapó in Atacama. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 75 km.

Date and Time:	Jun 6, 2025 13:15 (Santiago Time) - Jun 6, 2025 17:15 Universal Time.
Location:	81 km north of Copiapó, Atacama, Chile. Coordinates 26°38'25"S 70°24'49"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.4 Detected by 18 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.036 .
Depth:	75 km (47 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

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	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 6.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 75 km (47 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Significant impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 50% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 90% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 53% likelyhood of between 1 and 10 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 98% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 100 million USD.

Roughly 250 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 250 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Very strong shaking and likely moderate damage may have been experienced by an estimated 43,170 people. At VII, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level VI was experienced by the majority of people (around 150 thousand). In their region, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Chile , around 250 thousand people, with impact levels up to VII (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage). Shaking was experienced by inhabitants of Argentina too.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
160	III	Weak	Probably none
35,010	IV	Light	Likely none
21,550	V	Moderate	Very light
147,100	VI	Strong	Light
43,170	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 46 kilometer (29 mi) southwest of the epicenter. Diego de Almagro experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly VI. That level implies strong shaking and probably light damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Copiapó is located 81 km to the south and experienced an intensity of VII (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage). Antofagasta is located 332 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Coquimbo is located 379 km to the south-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
46 km (29 mi) NE from epicenter	Diego de Almagro Atacama, Chile.	VI Strong
81 km (50 mi) S from epicenter	Copiapó Atacama, Chile.	VII Very Strong
218 km (135 mi) S from epicenter	Vallenar Atacama, Chile.
332 km (206 mi) N from epicenter	Antofagasta Antofagasta, Chile.
372 km (231 mi) SSW from epicenter	La Serena Coquimbo Region, Chile.
379 km (235 mi) SSW from epicenter	Coquimbo Coquimbo Region, Chile.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VII. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 43 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 43 people have reported shaking in 12 places in 2 countries (Argentina, 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:

Copiapó, Atacama, Chile: 11 people.
Santiago, Metropolitana, Chile: 8 people.
La Serena, Coquimbo, Chile: 6 people.
Diego de Almagro, Atacama, Chile: 4 people.
Vallenar, Atacama, Chile: 3 people.
Iquique, Tarapacá, Chile: 3 people.
Calama, Antofagasta, Chile: 2 people.
Taltal, Antofagasta, Chile: 2 people.
San Juan, San Juan, Argentina: 1 person.
Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile: 1 person.

2 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 73 km (45 mi) south-east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 11 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 3.7

In the days before this main shock, 3 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 4 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-2.7 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 2.7	2 days earlier Jun 4, 2025 21:23 (Santiago Time)	41 km (25 mi) W from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.7	4 hrs earlier Jun 6, 2025 09:21 (Santiago Time)	98 km (61 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.6	2 hrs earlier Jun 6, 2025 11:37 (Santiago Time)	95 km (59 mi) NNW from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 6.4	Jun 6, 2025 13:15 (Santiago Time)	-
Aftershock	M 2.8	9 hrs later Jun 6, 2025 22:16 (Santiago Time)	30 km (19 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.7	11 hrs later Jun 6, 2025 23:45 (Santiago Time)	73 km (45 mi) SE 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 are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since October 31st, 2023, when a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit 260 km (161 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on September 1st, 2020.

In total, 4 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.4 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 3 years.

Sources

Last updated 17/06/25 18:18 (). 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.