M4.2 Earthquake 54 km W of Ovalle, Chile — December 27, 2020
2020-12-27 20:48:36 UTC (2020-12-27) · approx. 3:48 PM UTC-5 local
On December 27, 2020 at 20:48 UTC, a magnitude 4.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 54 km W of Ovalle, Chile, at a depth of 36.0 km and coordinates -30.6974°, -71.7523°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 30 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 476 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 3 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
-71.7523°E
Technical Information
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Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.2 earthquake near Ovalle, Chile?
The magnitude 4.2 earthquake that struck 54 km W of Ovalle, Chile on December 27, 2020 at 20:48 UTC had a depth of 36.0 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.2 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
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Understanding This Data
Magnitude 4.2 earthquakes are often felt but rarely cause damage.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000d3hy). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, December 27, 2020). M4.2 Earthquake 54 km W of Ovalle, Chile — December 27, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000d3hy/