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Moderate mag. 5.6 earthquake - Region de Valparaiso, 15 km northwest of Melipilla, Santiago, Chile, on Tuesday, Mar 21, 2023 at 2:38 pm (GMT -3) -

Moderate mag. 5.6 earthquake - Region de Valparaiso, 15 km northwest of Melipilla, Santiago, Chile, on Tuesday, Mar 21, 2023 at 2:38 pm (GMT -3) Moderate mag. 5.6 earthquake - Region de Valparaiso, 15 km northwest of Melipilla, Santiago, Chile, on Tuesday, Mar 21, 2023 at 2:38 pm (GMT -3)

Moderate magnitude 5.6 earthquake at 65 km depth

21 Mar 17:40 UTC: First to report: VolcanoDiscovery after 3 minutes.
21 Mar 17:42: Now using data updates from GFZ
... [show all] ...
21 Mar 17:57: Now using data updates from USGS
Update Tue, 21 Mar 2023, 18:12

Magnitude 5.6 earthquake strikes near San Antonio, San Antonio Province, Region de Valparaiso, Chile

5.6 quake 21 Mar 2:38 pm (GMT -3)
5.6 quake 21 Mar 2:38 pm (GMT -3)
Chile was shaken near San Antonio, San Antonio Province, Region de Valparaiso, by an earthquake of magnitude 5.6 34 minutes ago, the United States Geological Survey reported.
The quake hit at a moderately shallow depth of 65.1 km beneath the epicenter near San Antonio, San Antonio Province, Region de Valparaiso, Chile, early afternoon on Tuesday, March 21st, 2023, at 2:38 pm local time. Magnitude and other quake parameters can still change in the coming hours as the agency continues to process seismic data.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from France's Réseau National de Surveillance Sismique (RéNaSS) which listed the quake at magnitude 5.2. Other agencies reporting the same quake include the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) at magnitude 5.6, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) at magnitude 5.6, and the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake at magnitude 5.6.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.
In Melipilla (pop. 63,100) located 15 km from the epicenter, San Antonio (pop. 85,700) 24 km away, Cartagena (pop. 16,900) 25 km away, Talagante (pop. 51,800) 40 km away, and Peñaflor (pop. 65,500) 44 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Quilpué (pop. 130,300) located 63 km from the epicenter, Villa Alemana (pop. 97,300) 63 km away, Santiago de Chile (pop. 4,837,300) 67 km away, Valparaiso (pop. 282,400) 69 km away, and Puente Alto (pop. 510,400) 72 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.

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Earthquake details

Date & timeMar 21, 2023 17:38:13 UTC -
Local time at epicenterTuesday, Mar 21, 2023 at 2:38 pm (GMT -3)
StatusConfirmed
Magnitude5.6
Depth65.1 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude33.6103°S / 71.3517°W (San Antonio Province, Region de Valparaiso, Chile)
Antipode33.61°N / 108.648°E
Shaking intensityLight shaking
Felt237 reports
Primary data sourceUSGS (United States Geological Survey)
Nearest volcanoSan José (136 km / 85 mi)
Nearby towns and cities15 km (10 mi) NW of Melipilla (Metropolitana) (pop: 63,100) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
24 km (15 mi) E of San Antonio (pop: 85,700) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
25 km (15 mi) ESE of Cartagena (San Antonio) (pop: 16,900) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
40 km (25 mi) W of Talagante (Santiago Metropolitan) (pop: 51,800) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
44 km (27 mi) W of Peñaflor (Santiago Metropolitan) (pop: 65,500) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
67 km (42 mi) WSW of Santiago de Chile (Metropolitana) (pop: 4,837,300) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
69 km (43 mi) SSE of Valparaiso (pop: 282,400) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
72 km (45 mi) W of Puente Alto (Metropolitana) (pop: 510,400) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
Weather at epicenter at time of quakeClear Sky 17.1°C (63 F), humidity: 31%, wind: 4 m/s (9 kts) from W
Estimated seismic energy released1.6 x 1013 joules (4.4 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 3788 tons of TNT or 0.2 atomic bombs!) | about seismic energy
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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.
Mag.DepthLocationSource
5.665 km15 Km NW of Melipilla, ChileUSGS
5.665 kmNear Coast of Central ChileRaspberryShake
5.651 kmNear Coast of Central ChileGFZ
5.660 kmVALPARAISO, CHILEEMSC
5.210 kmChile: Near Viña Del MarRENASS
5.610 kmNear Coast Of Central ChileIRIS
5.451 kmNear Coast of Central ChileGeoAu
5.347 kmNear Coast of Central ChileOBSIS

User reports for this quake (244)

User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
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Lo Prado, Provincia de Santiago, Metropolitana (61.4 km ENE of epicenter) [Map] / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : tranquilo pero alerta | 13 users found this interesting.  
Concon sand dunes (76.6 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex motion difficult to describe / 15-20 s : Sitting on the Concon sand dunes, the ground started shaking, originally thought it was a truck rolling past however we were on the sea side of the dunes and it lasted 15 - 20 seconds | 10 users found this interesting.  
av andres bello las condes santiago chile (71.3 km ENE of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Everyone noticed. It came in tow waves, making the building shake, then ceased for a couple of seconds, then shook again as strong as the first event. | 5 users found this interesting.  
Buin, camino a Maipo / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s : Temblor largo, más o menos fuerte. El suelo vibraba. Por un momento parecía que estaba parando y vino una nueva sacudida. | 4 users found this interesting. (reported through our app)  
Huechuraba (68.8 km ENE of epicenter) [Map] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 1-2 minutes : La onda P fue muy brusca y violenta, pasaron unos segundos y llegan las ondas S, trate de pararme del asiento pero me costó mucho por lo fuerte del movimiento, un ventanal que tenia cerca se movió demasiado, se cayó un teclado y un bajo, en mi casa la pandereta del jardín se abrió más y dentro de la casa se cayeron varias cosas, como el 80% de los cuadros de mi casa quedaron chuecos (reported through our app)  
IMG_202303... .jpg (public domain)
In my school (30.8 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / complex motion difficult to describe / 15-20 s : Was horrible, I was in my school playing voleyball, when i feel the floor move very strong was horrible | 2 users found this interesting.  
Casablanca, chile (31.9 km N of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex motion difficult to describe / 30-60 s : Very long event for the area. The usual is a simple "crack" sound and a single fast movement in one direction. | 2 users found this interesting.  
San Bernardo, Provincia de Maipo, Metropolitana (60.7 km E of epicenter) [Map] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) : Fue muy fuerte en estas casas que son solidadrs deben ser muy fuerte para perdí irlos y este fue uno de esos y largo | One user found this interesting.  
Santiago de Chile puente alto (67.5 km E of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 10-15 s : Estaba en mi cama cuando mi gato estaba mirando la lámpara y veía que se movía luego se movía cada vez más fuerte y la ventana empezóa chocar con la pareda sonar también la puerta y mi papá luego subió y me Miró. Cuando paró baje y abraze a mi perro | One user found this interesting.  
Santiago de Chile (68.1 km ENE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : 21st floor, talking to husband in kitchen, felt like a big truck was rumbling by except we are up to high for that, looked out the window and could see building moving, door to bathroom swinging back and forth | One user found this interesting.  
Santiago chile (78.5 km ENE of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Estaba en la cocina mi gato y mi hija se asustaron, primero fue un movimiento con sonido leve pero luego fue más duro el movimiento y más prolongado | One user found this interesting.  
Lo Prado, Provincia de Santiago, Metropolitana (62.9 km ENE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s : Yes, it was an strong movement | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through our app)  
Algarrobo (40.7 km NW of epicenter) [Map] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Very strong almost earthquake, very similar at the 2010. Feel most strong than report. | 2 users found this interesting.  
Vitacura, Santiago (73.8 km ENE of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating : Long and powerful. A long shake | 2 users found this interesting.  
Viña del Mar, Provincia de Valparaíso, Valparaíso (76.3 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 30-60 s : Concon | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through our app)  
san fernando chile (113.5 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : i was in my bed and felt a noise then comes the shaking | 2 users found this interesting.  
Villa Alemana, Provincia de Marga Marga, Valparaíso (62.6 km N of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s : MUCH NOISE | 2 users found this interesting.  
Catemu / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Fue repentino. Movimiento brusco vibratorio inmediato que fue en ascenso para luego ir disminuyendo paulatinamente. | One user found this interesting.  
Santiago, near the airport. Our Courtyard Hotel s / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : Light shaking. I was resting in bed on sixth floor of my hotel and felt the entire room move back and forth . | One user found this interesting.  
Santiago / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 15-20 s : Se sintió fuerte se movió mucho, fue violento, también con mucho ruido fuerte , pensamos que se venia un terremoto. | One user found this interesting.  
Rancagua / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / vibration and rolling / 15-20 s : I was in Rancagua...in the nine floor of a building. I was in a meeting on Teams and I feel very scare | One user found this interesting. (reported through our app)  
Santiago / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s : Agitación moderada. Movimiento inicial en todas direcciones, seguido de un segundo movimiento más largo donde primó el movimiento vertical. | One user found this interesting. (reported through our app)  
Intercontinental Hotel - Santiago / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : First earthquake and first time in Chile! Felt a bit of rumbling in my room on the 8th floor of the hotel. Could see a few windows rattling across the street. The quake wasn't strong enough to stop any traffic! | One user found this interesting.  
Viña del Mar / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 20-30 s : A very long quake with vertical movementsñ | 2 users found this interesting.  
Santiago centro / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 30-60 s : It felt more than 5.5, it was more like 6.5 earthquake | 2 users found this interesting. (reported through our app)  
Santiago, Ñuñoa / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Was like on a ship, really short | 2 users found this interesting.  
Santiago / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Two strong earth quake more than 5 seconds. Felt more than 6 | 2 users found this interesting.  
Santiago / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 30-60 s : It was short but upside down | 2 users found this interesting.  
Santiago, colina / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s : Lot of noise | 2 users found this interesting.  
Santiago / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : The earth shaking 5 | 2 users found this interesting.  
Santiago (69.7 km ENE of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vibration and rolling / 5-10 s : Temblor con mucho sonido | One user found this interesting. (reported through our app)  
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Aftershocks

[More info]

Recorded aftershocks, latest first (4 quakes)

Date and timeMag
Depth
LocationDetails
May 17, 2023 15:51
12 days ago
2.9

64 km
25 km S of Melipilla, Santiago, ChileMore
Apr 15, 2023 13:51
6 weeks ago
3.0

58 km
36 km SE of Valparaiso, Region de Valparaiso, ChileMore
Mar 28, 2023 03:07
9 weeks ago
2.7

61 km
13 km NW of Melipilla, Santiago, ChileMore
Mar 21, 2023 17:40
10 weeks ago
2.6

58 km
Region de Valparaiso, 16 km NW of Melipilla, Santiago, ChileMore

Earlier earthquakes in the same area

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