Moderate quake rattles Antofagasta region

Chile’s National Seismological Center recorded a magnitude 4.7 earthquake near Ollagüe late on Friday, May 15, after residents in the Antofagasta region reported feeling the shaking. The center said the quake struck at 9:59:45 p.m. local time and placed its epicenter 72 kilometers south of Ollagüe in northern Chile. The agency reported a depth of 120 kilometers. No immediate reports of major damage were visible in official public records reviewed on Sunday. U.S. Geological Survey data listed the same event at magnitude 4.8 and a depth of 133.2 kilometers, a small difference that is common in early and parallel seismic measurements by different agencies. The USGS placed the event 71 kilometers south-southwest of Ollagüe at 01:59:43 UTC on May 16, matching the Friday night local timing in Chile. ### Where exactly did the quake hit? (sismologia.cl) The National Seismological Center located the hypocenter at latitude 21.84 south and longitude 68.45 west, in the high Andean area near the Chile-Bolivia border. The reference point in the agency’s report was Ollagüe, a sparsely populated commune in Antofagasta region known for mining routes and border transit. (earthquake.usgs.gov) USGS coordinates for the same earthquake were 21.847 south and 68.432 west, placing it in nearly the same area. The two agencies’ locations differ only slightly, while both show a deeper event rather than a shallow surface quake. ### Why was it felt across Antofagasta if the magnitude was moderate? The 120-kilometer depth reported by Chile’s seismic agency is one reason shaking can be felt over a broad area even when the magnitude is below 5.0. (sismologia.cl) Deep earthquakes in northern Chile often transmit motion across long distances, particularly in inland desert and plateau zones. That description is an inference based on the depth and location reported by CSN and USGS, not a separate official damage assessment. (earthquake.usgs.gov) Friday’s event was also listed by the Chilean center among the country’s felt earthquakes, which the agency marks separately from routine smaller tremors. The public event page identified it as a reported quake rather than only an instrument reading. ### Did authorities report damage or a tsunami risk? Official seismic records reviewed on Sunday did not show any indication of major damage tied to the Ollagüe-area quake. (sismologia.cl) Publicly accessible Chilean emergency and seismic pages available through search results did not list a tsunami warning connected to this inland event. The quake’s inland epicenter and depth also distinguish it from coastal events that typically trigger tsunami screening. (sismologia.cl) In Chile, tsunami-related public notices are generally handled through the Navy’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service, while seismic parameters are published by the National Seismological Center. ### How does this fit into northern Chile’s seismic pattern? (sismologia.cl) Antofagasta region sits within one of Chile’s most active seismic zones, where the Nazca Plate subducts beneath the South American Plate. The National Seismological Center’s daily listings show frequent small and moderate earthquakes in northern Chile, including other events near Calama, Socaire and Tocopilla on May 16. The Ollagüe quake was stronger than many of those neighboring events but remained well below the large earthquakes that have historically struck northern Chile. (t13.cl) The region’s public seismic record shows that moderate inland tremors are common enough for agencies to maintain routine monitoring and public reporting. ### Where will the next official updates appear? The Centro Sismológico Nacional publishes event-by-event reports and daily earthquake listings on its public website, including time, magnitude, depth and geographic reference for felt quakes. (sismologia.cl) Those pages are the primary official source for any revisions to the Ollagüe event’s parameters. SENAPRED, Chile’s disaster response agency, maintains regional preparedness and evacuation information for Antofagasta and would typically carry any broader emergency guidance if local conditions changed. (sismologia.cl) As of Sunday, May 17, the publicly available records reviewed for this story showed monitoring rather than an announced escalation. (senapred.cl) (sismologia.cl)