USGS · August 16, 2026

Magnitude 4.8 earthquake — 49 km NW of Valparaíso, Chile

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake was recorded near 49 km NW of Valparaíso, Chile on Aug 16, 2026, 12:32 PM (local time at the epicentre — UTC-4), at a depth of about 15.6 km, according to USGS.

USGSShallow (0–70 km)Reviewed by a seismologist

Updated 2026-09-04 20:17 UTC

The full record

Magnitude: M 4.8 · body-wave magnitude
Location: 49 km NW of Valparaíso, Chile
Local time at the epicentre: Aug 16, 2026, 12:32 PM — UTC-4
Time (UTC): 2026-08-16 16:32 UTC
Depth: 15.6 km · Shallow (0–70 km)
Coordinates: -32.721, -72.010
Felt reports: No “Did You Feel It?” reports submitted
Tsunami: No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.
Significance: 354 / 1000 · notable event
Solution quality: 36 seismic stations used · 139° 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

Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

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 1,391,301 within 100 km. Distances are from the epicentre to the town centre.

Place	Distance	Population
Quintero	45.3 km E	22,174
Loncura	47.8 km E	6,174
Valparaíso	49.9 km SE	282,448
Concón	51.3 km ESE	42,152
Viña del Mar	54.5 km SE	334,248
Puchuncaví	55.7 km E	5,353
Papudo	58.1 km ENE	4,015
Placilla	60.1 km SE	39,344
Quilpué	64.2 km SE	130,263
Villa Alemana	69.7 km ESE	97,320

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

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

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Frequently asked questions

How strong was the 49 km NW of Valparaíso, Chile earthquake?

Magnitude 4.8 (body-wave magnitude), at a depth of 15.6 km. Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

Exactly when did it happen?

Aug 16, 2026, 12:32 PM (local time at the epicentre — UTC-4). In universal time: 2026-08-16 16:32 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 Quintero, 45.3 km E (population 22,174).

Are earthquakes normal in this area?

27 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.