Light mag. 4.2 earthquake - South Pacific Ocean, 27 km northwest of Coquimbo, Provincia de Elqui, Coquimbo Region, Chile, on Thursday, 7 Jan 2021 4:19 pm (GMT -3) -
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Light magnitude 4.2 earthquake at 34 km depth
7 Jan 19:37 UTC: First to report: EMSC after 18 minutes.
7 Jan 19:38: Now using data updates from GUG (U. Chile)
7 Jan 19:50: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 33.8 to 33.9 km (from 21 to 21 mi).
7 Jan 19:38: Now using data updates from GUG (U. Chile)
7 Jan 19:50: Hypocenter depth recalculated from 33.8 to 33.9 km (from 21 to 21 mi).
Update Thu, 7 Jan 2021, 19:42
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake strikes near Coquimbo, Provincia de Elqui, Coquimbo Region, Chile4.2 quake 7 Jan 2:19 pm (GMT -5)
The National Seismological Center of the University of Chile reported a magnitude 4.2 quake in Chile near Coquimbo, Provincia de Elqui, Coquimbo Region, only 22 minutes ago. The earthquake hit early afternoon on Thursday 7 January 2021 at 2:19 pm local time at a moderately shallow depth of 33.8 km. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) which listed the quake at magnitude 4.3.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Coquimbo (pop. 161,300) located 27 km from the epicenter.
Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include La Serena (pop. 154,500) located 33 km from the epicenter.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) which listed the quake at magnitude 4.3.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Coquimbo (pop. 161,300) located 27 km from the epicenter.
Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include La Serena (pop. 154,500) located 33 km from the epicenter.
Earthquake data:
Date & time: 7 Jan 2021 19:19:50 UTC -
Local time at epicenter: Thursday, 7 Jan 2021 4:19 pm (GMT -3)
Magnitude: 4.2
Depth: 33.9 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 29.826°S / 71.582°W
(South Pacific Ocean, Chile)Nearby towns and cities:
27 km (17 mi) WNW of Coquimbo (pop: 161,300) --> See nearby quakes!
33 km (21 mi) WNW of La Serena (pop: 154,500) --> See nearby quakes!
87 km (54 mi) WNW of Vicuña (pop: 13,500) --> See nearby quakes!
94 km (58 mi) NNW of Ovalle (pop: 77,100) --> See nearby quakes!
160 km (100 mi) SSW of Vallenar (pop: 44,900) --> See nearby quakes!
205 km (127 mi) NNW of Illapel (Choapa) (pop: 22,800) --> See nearby quakes!
300 km (186 mi) SSW of Copiapo (pop: 129,300) --> See nearby quakes!
357 km (222 mi) N of Valparaiso (pop: 282,400) --> See nearby quakes!
413 km (257 mi) NNW of Santiago de Chile (pop: 4,837,300) --> See nearby quakes!
432 km (268 mi) NNW of Puente Alto (pop: 510,400) --> See nearby quakes!
Weather at epicenter at time of quake:
Few Clouds
19°C (66 F), humidity: 68%, wind: 6 m/s (11 kts) from W
Primary data source: GUG (U. Chile)Few Clouds
19°C (66 F), humidity: 68%, wind: 6 m/s (11 kts) from WEstimated released energy: 1.3 x 1011 joules (35 megawatt hours, equivalent to 30.1 tons of TNT) More info
Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
| Magnitude | Depth | Location | Source |
| M 4.2 | 34 km | 33 Km Al O De La Serena, Chile | GUG (U. Chile) |
| M 4.4 | 10 km | OFFSHORE COQUIMBO, CHILE | EMSC |
| M 4.5 | 10 km | Near Coast of Central Chile | GFZ |
| M 4.2 | 22 km | 34 Km WNW of Coquimbo, Chile | USGS |
User reports for this quake
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