M5.1 earthquake near Ovalle, Coquimbo Region

What happened

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 46 km W of Ovalle, Chile on 22 May 2016, 11:47 UTC at a depth of 26 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Ovalle, about 47 km away in Coquimbo Region, Chile.