M6.4 earthquake near La Serena, Coquimbo Region

What happened

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 29 km NNW of La Serena, Chile on 1 Apr 2002, 19:59 UTC at a depth of 71 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Strong. Can cause damage in populated areas up to tens of kilometres away. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.

The nearest town in our records is La Serena, about 29 km away in Coquimbo Region, Chile.