Shallow M6.2 Earthquake struck on Friday Morning in the South Pacific Ocean near Vallenar (Chile).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 13th, 2026. Last updated May 12th, 2026.

In the South Pacific Ocean 71 kilometer from Vallenar, Chile, a shallow and strong MAG-6.2 earthquake occurred in the morning of Friday March 13th, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 0.8 million people. Another nearby country is Argentina.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, right off the coast of Chile (8 mi offshore), 71 kilometer west of Vallenar in Atacama. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 24 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Mar 13, 2026 10:39 (Santiago Time) - Mar 13, 2026 13:39 Universal Time.
Location:	71 km west of Vallenar, Atacama, Chile. Coordinates 28°41'34"S 71°28'43"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.2 Detected by 47 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.045 .
Depth:	24 km (15 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

One building damaged at Freirina.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 94% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 0.8 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 0.8 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 870 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 680 thousand) live in an area exposed to level IV, where light shaking and likely no damage is expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Chile , around 0.8 million people, with impact levels up to VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). People were exposed to shaking in Argentina as well.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Chile and Argentina are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.

Vallenar in Atacama, Chile is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 71 kilometer (44 mi) west of Vallenar. The intensity of shaking and damage in Vallenar is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Coquimbo is located 141 km to the south and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). La Serena is located 137 km to the south and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Copiapó is located 186 km to the north-east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VI. 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

Shaking reported by 33 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 33 people have reported shaking in 11 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: 8 people.
• La Serena, Coquimbo, Chile: 7 people.
• Vallenar, Atacama, Chile: 5 people.
• Coquimbo, Coquimbo, Chile: 3 people.
• Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, Chile: 2 people.
• Lampa, Metropolitana, Chile: 2 people.
• Mendoza, Mendoza, Argentina: 2 people.
• La Rioja, La Rioja, Argentina: 1 person.
• Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile: 1 person.
• San Juan, San Juan, Argentina: 1 person.

65 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 65 smaller aftershocks. Just 3 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4 was detected 16 km (10 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 3 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 3 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.2 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

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 June 6th, 2025, when a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit 252 km (156 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on September 1st, 2020.

In total, 11 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.2 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 year.

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

Sources

Last updated 12/05/26 05:58 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000sg0y
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260313_0000254
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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