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Chile · Atacama Region

M5.5 Earthquake near Chañaral, Atacama Region (Chile)

UTC time: 2025-02-18 17:18:49 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.

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M5.5 Earthquake near Chañaral, Atacama Region (Chile) · 2025-02-18 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.5 Earthquake near Chañaral, Atacama Region (Chile) · 2025-02-18 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On February 18, 2025 at 17:18 UTC, a magnitude M5.5 earthquake occurred near Chañaral, Atacama Region (Chile). With a focal depth of about 35 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The event was recorded by USP. Chile: 24 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M3.7.

Details

ID
e3b102a0ffd517028c676711f58932e9767dbd9e
Magnitude
M5.5
Depth
35.0 km
UTC time
2025-02-18 17:18:49 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Chile
State
Atacama Region
City
Chañaral
County
Provincia de Chañaral
Source
usp
Coordinates
-26.19391, -70.60906

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 35 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 35 km
Shallow
35 km
35 km — shallower than the regional average (99.7 km)
Regional average: 99.7 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
Caldera99.4 kmS16'150
Copiapó133.3 kmS129'280
San Miguel de Tucumán541.6 kmE548'866

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Nevada, Sierra
    Distance: 205 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 6'173 m ·Chile-Argentina
  • Solo, El
    Distance: 214 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 6'205 m ·Chile-Argentina
  • Bayo Gorbea, Cerro
    Distance: 220 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 5'413 m ·Chile-Argentina
  • Condor, El
    Distance: 229 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 6'373 m ·Argentina
  • Ojos del Salado, Nevados
    Distance: 229 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 6'879 m ·Last eruption: 750 ·Chile-Argentina
  • Cordon del Azufre
    Distance: 230 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 5'481 m ·Chile-Argentina

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Ricardo García Posada AirportChile · ESR · SCES
    85.2 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-05

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

Atacama Region

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 51 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#2
Earlier events M≥44
Earlier events M≥51
Compared since2025-01-07

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.62025-02-18 17:18:48 UTC37.8 km94 km W of Diego de Almagro, Chile M4.92025-02-13 10:46:59 UTC142.9 km69 km NW of Taltal, Chile M4.52025-02-04 05:14:13 UTC136.2 km64 km NW of Taltal, Chile M4.12025-01-07 16:47:12 UTC113.5 km69 km E of Taltal, Chile

Historic earthquake map · Chile

Open history map
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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