M5.3 earthquake near La Serena, Coquimbo Region

What happened

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 51 km N of La Serena, Chile on 30 Aug 2023, 14:17 UTC at a depth of 43 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is La Serena, about 52 km away in Coquimbo Region, Chile.