M6.9 earthquake near Ovalle, Coquimbo Region

What happened

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 57 km W of Ovalle, Chile on 15 Feb 1917, 00:48 UTC at a depth of 35 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 Ovalle, about 57 km away in Coquimbo Region, Chile.