Chile Earthquake Today — Live Map & Recent Quakes

Track Chile earthquake today in real time with live map data and latest tremors updated every 60s from USGS. Chile is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, sitting above the Nazca Plate.

Quakes Today

0

Past 7 Days

3

Strongest (7d)

M4.9

M5+ Events

0

Live Chile Earthquake Map

Earthquakes in Chile

3 events · Past 7 Days

  • M3.9

    90 km WNW of Cartagena, Chile

    10 km deep

    ·

    4d ago

  • M4.9

    235 km W of Puerto Chacabuco, Chile

    10 km deep

    ·

    5d ago

  • M4.1

    42 km S of Camiña, Chile

    109 km deep

    ·

    6d ago

Seismic Hazard Profile

About Earthquake Activity in Chile

Chile is globally renowned as the premier natural laboratory for megathrust seismology, running 4,300 kilometers along South America's western coastline. Chile was the epicenter of the largest earthquake ever recorded by modern scientific instruments — the 1960 Great Chilean (Valdivia) earthquake — and experiences a magnitude 8+ shock roughly every 10 to 12 years.

Why does Chile experience earthquakes?

Chile's violent seismicity is created by the direct oceanic subduction of the dense Nazca Plate diving eastward beneath the continental South American Plate along the Peru-Chile Trench at a blistering speed of 6.5 to 8 centimeters per year. This rapid convergence generates massive subduction locking along the coast, resulting in giant M8.0 to M9.5 megathrust earthquakes and ocean-wide tsunamis. In addition, the crustal deformation uplifts the Andes mountain range and activates intraplate fault zones like the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault in southern Chile and the San Ramón Fault near Santiago.

Key Facts About Chile Seismicity

Seismic Risk Level
ExtremeHazard Zone
Population Exposed

~19.5 million

Primary Seismology Agency

CSN

Centro Sismológico Nacional

Major Faults & Trenches
  • Peru-Chile Trench (Nazca Subduction Zone)
  • Atacama Fault System
  • Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault Zone
  • San Ramón Fault
Tectonic Setting

Rapid subduction of Nazca Plate beneath continental South American Plate

Notable Historic Quakes
  • 1960 Valdivia Earthquake (Strongest in History)M9.5
  • 2010 Maule Offshore MegathrustM8.8
  • 2014 Iquique EarthquakeM8.2
FAQ · Chile

Frequently Asked Questions About Earthquakes in Chile

Expert answers to common questions about seismic risks, fault lines, and earthquake activity in Chile.

Check our live Chilean seismic feed above. Chile is one of the most earthquake-active regions on the planet and records multiple tremors along the Andean margin every single day.

The Great Chilean Earthquake of May 22, 1960, near Valdivia, Chile, registered a record-breaking magnitude 9.5 on the Moment Magnitude scale, triggering trans-Pacific tsunamis that reached Hawaii, Japan, and the Philippines.

Following severe quakes in 1960 and 2010 (M8.8 Maule), Chile implemented strict anti-seismic building codes requiring reinforced concrete shear walls, deep foundation anchors, and seismic dampeners, allowing most modern structures to survive M8+ shaking.

The dense oceanic Nazca Plate is actively subducting beneath the continental South American Plate directly off Chile's coastline at a rapid rate of roughly 7 to 8 cm per year, building massive stress along the Peru-Chile Trench.

Chile's national disaster agency SENAPRED and the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy (SHOA) issue instant coastal tsunami evacuation alerts via cellular broadcast (SAE) following any significant coastal tremor.