5.2

M5.2 Earthquake 85 km WSW of San Antonio, Chile — April 19, 2021

2021-04-19 04:11:26 UTC (2021-04-19) · approx. 11:11 PM UTC-5 local

Felt by 23 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.2(mww)
Time04:11 UTC≈ 11:11 PM UTC-5
Depth8.8 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates-33.980°, -72.409°
Felt by23DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On April 19, 2021 at 04:11 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 85 km WSW of San Antonio, Chile, at a depth of 8.8 km and coordinates -33.9804°, -72.4090°.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 951 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.3 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

The epicenter is located in Chile, a region characterized by the Peru-Chile Trench, where the Nazca Plate subducts beneath South America at 65-80 mm per year. The nearest mapped fault system is the Peru-Chile Trench. View all earthquakes in Chile.

Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences

Map showing earthquake epicenter at -33.98°, -72.41°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 23 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.2 earthquake near 85 km WSW of San Antonio, Chile

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.2 mww
Depth
8.8 km
shallow crustal
Location
-33.9804°N
-72.4090°E
Felt Reports
23
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
5.4
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000e2sp
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
428
Azimuthal Gap
79.0°
Min Station Distance
0.969°
RMS Residual
0.63 sec
Last Updated
2025-12-22 19:06:11 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near San Antonio, Chile?

The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck 85 km WSW of San Antonio, Chile on April 19, 2021 at 04:11 UTC had a depth of 8.8 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at -33.9804°, -72.4090°, which is 85 km WSW of San Antonio, Chile. View all earthquakes in Chile.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.2 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Has Chile had earthquakes this big before?

The largest recorded earthquake in Chile was the M9.5 Great Chilean earthquake of May 22, 1960. Today's magnitude 5.2 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000e2sp). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, April 19, 2021). M5.2 Earthquake 85 km WSW of San Antonio, Chile — April 19, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000e2sp/