6.1

M6.1 Earthquake near West Chile Rise — September 13, 2023

2023-09-13 11:49:15 UTC (2023-09-13) · approx. 4:49 AM UTC-7 local

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MagnitudeM6.1(mww)
Time11:49 UTC≈ 4:49 AM UTC-7
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates-36.230°, -97.931°
Felt byNo felt reports
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alert— no significant casualties or damage expected

On September 13, 2023 at 11:49 UTC, a magnitude 6.1 shallow crustal earthquake struck near West Chile Rise, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -36.2299°, -97.9312°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 215 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 572, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 21 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 9.7 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

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Map showing earthquake epicenter at -36.23°, -97.93°

ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity

Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M6.1 earthquake near West Chile Rise

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
6.1 mww
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
-36.2299°N
-97.9312°E
Intensity (MMI)
0.0
weak

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000kvhu
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
572
Stations Used
215
Azimuthal Gap
30.0°
Min Station Distance
13.319°
RMS Residual
0.72 sec
Last Updated
2023-11-18 22:29:33 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 6.1 earthquake near West Chile Rise?

The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck near West Chile Rise on September 13, 2023 at 11:49 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at -36.2299°, -97.9312°, which is near West Chile Rise. View all earthquakes in Chile.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.1 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months 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 6.1 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Actions

View on USGSDid You Feel It?

Location

Chile
View all Chile earthquakes

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000kvhu). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, September 13, 2023). M6.1 Earthquake near West Chile Rise — September 13, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000kvhu/