M5.8 earthquake near Vallenar, Atacama

What happened

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 85 km ESE of Vallenar, Chile on 7 Sept 2018, 02:39 UTC at a depth of 93 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 Vallenar, about 86 km away in Atacama, Chile.