M6.8 earthquake near Ovalle, Coquimbo Region

What happened

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 43 km WNW of Ovalle, Chile on 8 Jun 1972, 18:53 UTC at a depth of 44 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 44 km away in Coquimbo Region, Chile.