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M5.1 earthquake 26 km NW of Coquimbo, Coquimbo Region, Chile

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 26 km NW of Coquimbo, Coquimbo Region, Chile at 02:04 local time (06:04 UTC) on 3 Sept 2026, at a depth of 59 km, according to USGS.

5 reports to USGS “Did You Feel It?”

Data: USGS · updated 2026-09-13 06:43 UTC · reviewed

Magnitude
5.1moderate
moment magnitude (W phase) (mww)
Depth
59.4 km
Status
Reviewed
Origin time
2026-09-03 06:04:03 UTC
Local: 3 Sept 2026, 02:04:03 (America/Santiago)
Epicentre
29.762° S, 71.508° W

Circles show this event and others within 45 km from 7 days before to 30 days after. Lines: plate boundaries and GEM active faults. Open on the live map

Nearby places

Distance and estimated shaking at nearby places
PlaceDistanceEst. shaking
CoquimboCoquimbo Region, Chile · pop. 161,31726 kmIVLight
La SerenaCoquimbo Region, Chile · pop. 154,52130 kmIVLight
VicuñaCoquimbo Region, Chile · pop. 27,77183 kmIIIWeak
OvalleCoquimbo Region, Chile · pop. 77,13898 kmIIIWeak
Viña del MarValparaiso, Chile · pop. 334,248362 kmINot felt
ValparaísoValparaiso, Chile · pop. 282,448365 kmINot felt

Shaking is an estimate from the intensity prediction equation of Allen, Wald & Worden (2012), not an observation. Local ground and buildings can change it by a level or more. Likely felt out to about 129 km.

Every agency's solution

Agencies locate earthquakes with their own stations and methods, so their numbers differ. We match reports of the same event by time, distance and magnitude and show them side by side. The headline uses USGS, which has been reviewed by an analyst.

AgencyMagnitudeDepthEpicentreTime offsetStatus
USGSheadlineUSGS NEIC via U.S. Geological Survey5.1 mww59.4 km29.76° S, 71.51° W–Reviewed

How big was it?

Felt by most people over a wide area. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre.

It released roughly the energy of 674 t of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step means about 32 times more energy and 10 times larger waves on a seismogram. Depth matters too: at 59 km this was a shallow earthquake, which is felt more strongly at the surface than a deeper one of the same size.

M5.1 releases about 32× the energy of M4.1, and its waves are about 10× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 674 t of TNT vs 21 t of TNT.

Each square is the energy of one M4.1. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.

Aftershocks and nearby activity

2 later earthquakes within 45 km; the largest was M4.4 9 days ago. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.

Aftershocks

Mainshock M5.1

2 later earthquakes nearby. Aftershock rates typically fall off roughly as 1/time (Omori's law).

Aftershocks
Time after mainshock (hours)MagnitudeDepth (km)
391.354.439
477.054.262
  1. 4.434 km NW of Coquimbo, Coquimbo Region, Chile09-19 13:25
  2. 4.235 km NNW of La Serena, Coquimbo Region, Chile09-23 03:07

Did you feel it?

Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.

Reports close 14 days after an earthquake.

Reports on SeismoAtlas

No reports yet.

USGS “Did You Feel It?” has 5 reports: add yours at USGS.

Event id us7000tduc. First recorded here 28 Sept 2026, 17:32:13 UTC. Solutions: USGS (usgs:us7000tduc). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M5.1 earthquake 26 km NW of Coquimbo, Coquimbo Region, Chile”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/us7000tduc-m5-1-earthquake-26-km-nw-of-coquimbo-coquimbo-region-chile, data from USGS.

JSON: /api/v1/events/us7000tduc. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.