M6.0 earthquake near La Serena, Coquimbo Region

What happened

A magnitude 6 earthquake struck 33 km NW of La Serena, Chile on 18 Jan 1939, 01:44 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 La Serena, about 33 km away in Coquimbo Region, Chile.