M6.6 earthquake near Ovalle, Coquimbo Region

What happened

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 20 km SW of Monte Patria, Chile on 18 Jun 2002, 13:56 UTC at a depth of 54 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 Ovalle, about 24 km away in Coquimbo Region, Chile.