Magnitude 6.0 earthquake offshore near Valparaíso felt across central Chile; no tsunami threat

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck offshore near Chile’s Valparaíso region on Sunday night and was widely felt across central Chile, but authorities said it did not pose a tsunami threat. Initial automated assessments from the U.S. Geological Survey also pointed to a low likelihood of major casualties or serious economic damage.

Chile’s Centro Sismológico Nacional, or CSN, at the University of Chile said the quake hit at 21:34:18 UTC on May 31. It placed the epicenter about 23 kilometers (14 miles) west of Quintero, in the Valparaíso region, at a preliminary depth of 30 kilometers. The USGS described the earthquake as 36 kilometers (22 miles) northwest of Valparaíso and gave a shallower preliminary depth estimate.

Local media, citing Chile’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service and the national disaster agency SENAPRED, said authorities determined the quake’s characteristics did not meet the conditions needed to generate a tsunami on Chile’s coast.

USGS automated products suggested moderate shaking near the epicenter. Its PAGER alert was green, meaning the agency’s early model estimated a low probability of fatalities and major economic losses. USGS ShakeMap showed a maximum intensity of V, while its “Did You Feel It?” system, based on 81 public reports, reached a maximum reported intensity of VI.

Initial local reporting said the shaking was felt across the Valparaíso region and in parts of the Santiago metropolitan area, including Quillota, Concón, Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, Casablanca, El Quisco, El Tabo and Santiago. In the immediate aftermath, there were no authoritative reports of deaths or major structural collapses.

The quake struck in one of the world’s most seismically active regions, where the Nazca Plate is subducting beneath the South American Plate. Even without signs of a disaster, an offshore earthquake of this size is significant because it occurred near Chile’s densely populated central coast, including Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, and close enough to be felt in the capital.