M6.1 earthquake near Vallenar, Atacama

What happened

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 115 km ESE of Vallenar, Chile on 19 Jul 1980, 11:52 UTC at a depth of 110 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.

The nearest town in our records is Vallenar, about 116 km away in Atacama, Chile.