M6.2 earthquake near Quintero, Valparaiso

What happened

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 46 km W of La Ligua, Chile on 18 Dec 2008, 21:19 UTC at a depth of 18 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Quintero, about 41 km away in Valparaiso, Chile.