M7.1 earthquake near Ovalle, Coquimbo Region

What happened

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck 36 km SW of Monte Patria, Chile on 15 Oct 1997, 01:03 UTC at a depth of 58 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Major. Can cause serious damage over large areas. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Ovalle, about 37 km away in Coquimbo Region, Chile.