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Chile · Región de Antofagasta

M4.5 Earthquake near Tocopilla, Región de Antofagasta (Chile)

UTC time: 2026-05-16 17:59:00 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.

Magnitude
M4.5
Depth
28.0 km
Source
GFZ

Región de Antofagasta · Tocopilla

Country overview

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About this earthquake

On May 16, 2026 at 17:59 UTC, a magnitude M4.5 earthquake occurred near Tocopilla, Región de Antofagasta (Chile). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 28 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Tremors of this size are distinctly felt and can occasionally cause light damage.

The event was recorded by GFZ. Chile: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 42 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.4.

Details

ID
e6879f7db2f9636c556af9d9eaaed190ae3c8c09
Magnitude
M4.5
Depth
28.0 km
UTC time
2026-05-16 17:59:00 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Chile
State
Región de Antofagasta
City
Tocopilla
County
Provincia de Tocopilla
Source
gfz
Coordinates
-22.54000, -70.26000
Temperature
17.1°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 28 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 28 km
Shallow
28 km
28 km — shallower than the regional average (99.8 km)
Regional average: 99.8 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

Volcanoes nearby

  • Sairecabur
    Distance: 244 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 5'961 m ·Chile-Bolivia
  • Licancabur
    Distance: 246 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 5'916 m ·Chile-Bolivia
  • Putana
    Distance: 247 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 5'884 m ·Last eruption: 1810 ·Chile
  • Olca-Paruma
    Distance: 261 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 5'705 m ·Chile-Bolivia
  • Negrillar, La
    Distance: 261 km ·Pyroclastic cone(s) ·Elevation: 4'220 m ·Chile
  • Purico Complex
    Distance: 262 km ·Shield(pyroclastic) ·Elevation: 5'703 m ·Chile

Región de Antofagasta

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 396 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

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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