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Chile · Región de Atacama

M3.6 Earthquake near Caldera, Región de Atacama (Chile)

UTC time: 2026-01-21 23:22:01 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

On January 21, 2026 at 23:22 UTC, a magnitude M3.6 earthquake occurred near Caldera, Región de Atacama (Chile). With a focal depth of about 65 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude are often felt but rarely cause damage.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks. Chile: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 27 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.7.

Details

ID
323667348fbf27e0bda737da85b487ab72b615ad
Magnitude
M3.6
Depth
64.7 km
UTC time
2026-01-21 23:22:01 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Chile
State
Región de Atacama
City
Caldera
County
Provincia de Copiapó
Source
emsc
Coordinates
-27.32000, -70.81000
Temperature
19.6°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 64.7 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 64.7 km
Shallow
64.7 km
64.7 km — shallower than the regional average (99.3 km)
Regional average: 99.3 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Felt reports

3felt reports at EMSC / LastQuake

Voluntary reports of feeling this earthquake. The count is not an intensity measurement and is not added to USGS DYFI reports.

Data updated: Jan 21, 2026, 11:30 PM UTC · Last checked: Sep 6, 2026, 12:18 PM UTC

Source: EMSC / LastQuake

Volcanoes nearby

  • Solo, El
    Distance: 209 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 6'205 m ·Chile-Argentina
  • Tipas
    Distance: 223 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 6'658 m ·Argentina
  • Ojos del Salado, Nevados
    Distance: 226 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 6'879 m ·Last eruption: 750 ·Chile-Argentina
  • Nevada, Sierra
    Distance: 240 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 6'173 m ·Chile-Argentina
  • Falso Azufre
    Distance: 248 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 5'906 m ·Chile-Argentina
  • Incahuasi, Nevado de
    Distance: 251 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 6'638 m ·Chile-Argentina

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Desierto de Atacama AirportChile · CPO · SCAT
    7.2 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-08

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Región de Atacama

Context for this earthquake

08 Sep 2025 – 08 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 127 Catalogue entries

Of 126 other entries for this area and period, 35 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · Chile

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Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · Chile

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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