Significant M5.6 Earthquake hit near Ovalle in Chile on Wednesday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 15th, 2025. Last updated November 8th, 2025.

In the morning of Wednesday October 15th, 2025, a significant M5.6 earthquake hit under land 37 kilometer from Ovalle in Chile. Around 0.9 million people have been exposed to shaking. Another nearby country is Argentina.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Chile, 37 kilometer (23 mi) west-southwest of Ovalle in Coquimbo Region. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 32 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Oct 15, 2025 08:43 (Santiago Time) - Oct 15, 2025 11:43 Universal Time.
Location:	37 km WSW of Ovalle, Coquimbo Region, Chile. Coordinates 30°43'14"S 71°33'32"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.6 Detected by 18 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 .
Depth:	32 km (20 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (14 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to 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 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 0.9 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 0.9 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 191,300 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 690 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Chile , around 0.9 million people, with impact levels up to IV (light shaking, likely no damage). In Argentina, shaking was experienced too.

Nearby towns and cities

2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Chile and Argentina .

Ovalle in Coquimbo Region, Chile is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 37 kilometer (23 mi) west-southwest of Ovalle. The intensity of shaking and damage in Ovalle is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Coquimbo is located 88 km to the north-northeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). La Serena is located 95 km to the north-northeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Viña del Mar is located 256 km to the south (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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

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 V.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 29 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 29 people have reported shaking in 10 places in 2 countries (Chile, Argentina).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Santiago, Metropolitana, Chile: 18 people.
• Ovalle, Coquimbo, Chile: 2 people.
• Copiapó, Atacama, Chile: 2 people.
• Coquimbo, Coquimbo, Chile: 1 person.
• Vicuña, Coquimbo, Chile: 1 person.
• La Serena, Coquimbo, Chile: 1 person.
• Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile: 1 person.
• Mendoza, Mendoza, Argentina: 1 person.
• Lampa, Metropolitana, Chile: 1 person.
• Paine, Metropolitana, Chile: 1 person.

15 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 15 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 2 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.6 was detected 15 km (9 mi) east of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 12 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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

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 20th, 2024, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 267 km (166 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on April 24th, 2017.

In total, 41 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 3 months.

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

Sources

Last updated 08/11/25 13:58 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000rh9m
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251015_0000163
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: