A significant MAG-5.2 earthquake struck under land 66 kilometer from Vallenar in Chile deep in the night of Wednesday December 10th, 2025. Argentina is also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Chile, 66 kilometer (41 mi) west-southwest of Vallenar in Atacama. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 43 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 10, 2025 03:38 (Santiago Time) - Dec 10, 2025 06:38 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 66 km WSW of Vallenar, Atacama, Chile. Coordinates 28°51'57"S 71°20'51"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 26 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.061 . |
| Depth: | 43 km (27 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
Chile and Argentina are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Vallenar in Atacama, Chile is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 66 kilometer (41 mi) west-southwest of Vallenar.
Major cities near this earthquake: Coquimbo is located 121 km to the south. La Serena is located 116 km to the south. Copiapó is located 194 km to the north-northeast.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 66 km (41 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Vallenar Atacama, Chile. |
| 116 km (72 mi) S from epicenter |
La Serena Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 121 km (75 mi) S from epicenter |
Coquimbo Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 193 km (120 mi) S from epicenter |
Ovalle Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 194 km (121 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Copiapó Atacama, Chile. |
| 294 km (183 mi) ESE from epicenter |
San José de Jáchal San Juan, Argentina. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in 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: 1 person.
7 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 7 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 8 km (5 mi) east-southeast of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 3 days later. It measured a magnitude of 3
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Dec 10, 2025 03:38 (Santiago Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
17 hrs later Dec 10, 2025 20:17 (Santiago Time) | 5 km (2.8 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
23 hrs later Dec 11, 2025 02:15 (Santiago Time) | 89 km (55 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
1 day later Dec 11, 2025 05:36 (Santiago Time) | 2.7 km (1.7 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
1 day later Dec 11, 2025 07:14 (Santiago Time) | 61 km (38 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
2 days later Dec 12, 2025 14:11 (Santiago Time) | 4 km (2.5 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
3 days later Dec 12, 2025 23:51 (Santiago Time) | 59 km (37 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
3 days later Dec 13, 2025 01:13 (Santiago Time) | 8 km (5 mi) ESE 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 November 3rd, 2025, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 161 km (100 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on September 1st, 2020.
In total, 74 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 2 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
| 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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 43 km (27 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 13/12/25 06:38 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000rttx
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251210_0000101
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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