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4.2MAG

LIGHT EARTHQUAKE

59 km NE of María Elena, Chile

USGS

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 59 km NE of María Elena, Chile on 17 Sept 2026, 22:11 UTC. The hypocentre was 82.7 km below the surface — intermediate by seismological convention. 20 other earthquakes above our reporting threshold have been recorded within 250 km in the past 30 days.

Depth
82.7 km

intermediate

Latitude
21.96°S

69.27°W longitude

Time
22:11 UTC

17 Sept 2026

Magnitude
M4.2

mb

EPICENTRE

View the official report

MAGNITUDE 4.2

Noticeable shaking of indoor objects. Damage is unlikely.

The scale is logarithmic: this released about 63 times the energy of a magnitude 3.0, roughly the energy of 30 tonnes of TNT.

82.7 KM DEEP

At this depth the energy spreads before it reaches the surface. Shaking is usually weaker than a shallow earthquake of the same size, but it can be felt across a wider area.

NEARBY IN THE PAST 30 DAYS

20 earthquakes above our reporting threshold within 250 km of this one, the largest a magnitude 4.8.

OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES

M4.2 earthquake — María Elena, Chile · Quakewire