M7.4 earthquake near Caldera, Atacama

What happened

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Atacama, Chile on 18 Apr 1939, 06:22 UTC at a depth of 35 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 Caldera, about 18 km away in Atacama, Chile.