On Wednesday Night a Significant M5.1 AFTERSHOCK struck near Calama in Chile.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 27th, 2026.

A significant Magnitude 5.1 aftershock struck under land 26 kilometer from Calama in Chile in the night of Wednesday May 27th, 2026.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Chile, 26 kilometer (16 mi) north-east of Calama in Antofagasta. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 103 km.

Date and Time:	May 27, 2026 01:23 (Santiago Time) - May 27, 2026 05:23 Universal Time.
Location:	26 km NE of Calama, Antofagasta, Chile. Coordinates 22°16'55"S 68°45'4"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.1 Detected by 18 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 .
Depth:	103 km (64 mi) An intermediate depth.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Tsunami's are usually caused by MAG-6.5+ earthquakes, less than 100km shallow, and with an epicenter under sea. Neither of this seems to be the case. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Chile . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Calama in Antofagasta, Chile. Calama is located 26 kilometer (16 mi) north-east of the epicenter.

Major cities near this earthquake: Calama is located 26 km to the southwest. Antofagasta is located 227 km to the southwest. Iquique is located 272 km to the northwest.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.

Overview of nearby places

This is likely an aftershock

Approximately 1 day before this earthquake hit, a larger 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck 16 km (10 mi) south-east of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.1 earthquake as an aftershock.

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.

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.

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 106 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 month.

Tsunami very unlikely

It is very unlikely that this eartquake will cause any tsunami's. The reported magnitude is lower than the MAG-6.5 strength required to cause any earthquakes. In addition, this earthquake was not very shallow and appears to have occurred under land. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 27/05/26 19:28 (). 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 us7000snt8
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260527_0000085
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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