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M5.2 Earthquake near Northern Chile

UTC time: 2026-01-16 02:13:27 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis. How our reports are produced ↗

Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
47.6 km
Source
USP

Northern Chile

Map

M5.2 Earthquake near Northern Chile · 2026-01-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.2 Earthquake near Northern Chile · 2026-01-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On January 16, 2026 at 02:13 UTC, a magnitude M5.2 earthquake occurred near Northern Chile. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 48 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by USP.

Details

ID
8f9f69eb1a4d46c27f330b9565766e3532227f23
Magnitude
M5.2
Depth
47.6 km
UTC time
2026-01-16 02:13:27 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
usp
Coordinates
-19.80772, -69.42866

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 47.6 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 47.6 km
Shallow
47.6 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

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Pozo Almonte62.3 kmSW16'878
Alto Hospicio87.3 kmSW142'086
La Paz391.8 kmN2'004'652

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Isluga
    Distance: 96 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 5'550 m ·Last eruption: 1913 ·Chile
  • Tata Sabaya
    Distance: 121 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 5'430 m ·Bolivia
  • Irruputuncu
    Distance: 138 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 5'163 m ·Last eruption: 1995 ·Chile-Bolivia
  • Guallatiri
    Distance: 158 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 6'071 m ·Last eruption: 1960 ·Chile
  • Olca-Paruma
    Distance: 164 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 5'705 m ·Chile-Bolivia
  • Parinacota
    Distance: 185 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 6'336 m ·Last eruption: 290 ·Chile-Bolivia

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours0
First 24 hours1
First 72 hours5
Strongest subsequent eventM5.9
M2.62026-01-16 20:03:55 UTC147.7 kmPica M3.12026-01-17 12:01:49 UTC115.9 kmCamarones M3.22026-01-17 23:46:41 UTC85.1 kmChile M2.52026-01-18 04:26:28 UTC103.3 kmPozo Almonte M3.02026-01-19 00:40:52 UTC95.3 kmPica M3.52026-01-19 02:56:28 UTC96.6 kmPica M2.82026-01-19 04:01:08 UTC38.2 kmPozo Almonte M3.32026-01-19 04:37:28 UTC91.6 kmChile M2.72026-01-20 01:38:26 UTC108.8 kmPozo Almonte M3.12026-01-21 00:45:20 UTC131.2 kmPozo Almonte M2.52026-01-21 10:09:56 UTC70.0 kmPozo Almonte M3.12026-01-21 13:00:17 UTC95.3 kmPica

No unambiguous area assignment

Context for this earthquake

This event has no unambiguous country assignment in the analysed catalogue. It is therefore not assigned to a regional profile.

Earthquake overview

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#18
Earlier events M≥4159
Earlier events M≥533
Compared since2025-01-03

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M5.92025-05-26 03:50:26 UTC50.7 kmHuara M5.92025-05-26 03:50:25 UTC30.6 kmNorthern Chile M5.82025-10-14 17:10:11 UTC31.9 kmNorthern Chile M5.72025-05-26 03:50:25 UTC22.9 kmTARAPACA, CHILE M5.62025-09-19 04:55:55 UTC58.8 kmNorthern Chile

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
570
Country (24h)
—
—
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