M6.0 earthquake near Coquimbo, Coquimbo Region

What happened

A magnitude 6 earthquake struck 69 km SW of Coquimbo, Chile on 21 Jul 1997, 23:19 UTC at a depth of 33 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 Coquimbo, about 69 km away in Coquimbo Region, Chile.