M5.9 earthquake near Villa Mercedes, Biobio

What happened

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 60 km ENE of Los Ángeles, Chile on 29 May 2017, 14:57 UTC at a depth of 81 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.

The nearest town in our records is Villa Mercedes, about 27 km away in Biobio, Chile.