USGS · September 8, 2026

Magnitude 4.2 earthquake — 87 km SW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake was recorded near 87 km SW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile on Sep 8, 2026, 07:33 AM (local time at the epicentre — UTC-3), at a depth of about 99.6 km, according to USGS.

USGSIntermediate (70–300 km)Reviewed by a seismologist

Updated 2026-09-09 07:15 UTC

The full record

Magnitude: M 4.2 · body-wave magnitude
Location: 87 km SW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Local time at the epicentre: Sep 8, 2026, 07:33 AM — UTC-3
Time (UTC): 2026-09-08 10:33 UTC
Depth: 99.6 km · Intermediate (70–300 km)
Coordinates: -23.388, -68.886
Felt reports: No “Did You Feel It?” reports submitted
Tsunami: No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.
Significance: 271 / 1000 · routine event
Solution quality: 13 seismic stations used · 81° azimuthal gap (well-constrained epicentre)
Review status: Reviewed by a seismologist
Catalog: USGS

Open the official catalog record

Epicentre and nearby recent earthquakes

The highlighted circle is this earthquake. Smaller circles are other events recorded nearby in the last 30 days.

What the shaking was like

At this depth the energy spreads out before it reaches the surface, so shaking is usually weaker but felt over a wider area.

No intensity estimate was published for this event, which is usual for small earthquakes far from populated areas.

Felt it yourself? USGS collects first-hand reports through “Did You Feel It?”, and those reports are what produce the community intensity above.

Who lives nearby

About 0 people live in towns within 30 km of the epicentre, and 12,887 within 100 km. Distances are from the epicentre to the town centre.

Place	Distance	Population
Sierra Gorda	70.9 km NW	1,069
San Pedro de Atacama	87.8 km NE	10,960
Baquedano	97.6 km W	858

Earthquake history in this area

No earthquake of magnitude 4.5+ has been recorded within 200 km of this epicentre since 1960, in Chile.

Other earthquakes near this epicentre

26 other events within 100 km in the last 30 days.

Be first to know about the next earthquake near 87 km SW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

SeismoWatch pushes a notification to your Android phone within minutes of a matching earthquake — for the area and magnitude you choose.

Get the Android app

Frequently asked questions

How strong was the 87 km SW of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile earthquake?

Magnitude 4.2 (body-wave magnitude), at a depth of 99.6 km. At this depth the energy spreads out before it reaches the surface, so shaking is usually weaker but felt over a wider area.

Exactly when did it happen?

Sep 8, 2026, 07:33 AM (local time at the epicentre — UTC-3). In universal time: 2026-09-08 10:33 UTC.

Was it felt?

No “Did You Feel It?” reports were submitted for this event. Small earthquakes usually pass unnoticed except very close to the epicentre.

Was there a tsunami warning?

No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.

Which towns are closest to the epicentre?

The closest is Sierra Gorda, 70.9 km NW (population 1,069).

Are earthquakes normal in this area?

26 further events were recorded within 100 km of the epicentre in the last 30 days.

How do I get alerts for the next earthquake here?

Install the free SeismoWatch Android app, draw a box over this area, set a minimum magnitude, and turn alerts on.

About this page

Event data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) and, in Venezuela, FUNVISIS. Populated places and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Preliminary solutions are revised as more observations arrive.