A magnitude 5.1 earthquake was felt early on Wednesday, October 14, in the Tarapacá Region. Its epicenter was offshore, 18 kilometers southwest of Iquique, at a depth of 47 kilometers.
Emol reported this based on data from the National Seismological Center (CSN), the University of Chile agency that measures seismic activity in the country. The initial CSN report put the magnitude at 5.4 and the epicenter 35 kilometers southwest of the regional capital. Shortly afterward, the agency revised both figures.
The Navy's Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOA) reported that the earthquake did not meet the conditions to generate a tsunami along Chile's coast. There was therefore no need to evacuate the coast of Iquique, where a large share of the region's population lives.
As of publication, the sources had reported no damage, injuries or service outages in Tarapacá. There was also no assessment from the Regional Presidential Delegation or the municipality of Iquique.
Hours earlier, at around 21:30 on Tuesday, October 13, another magnitude 5.1 earthquake was recorded offshore from the Coquimbo Region. According to the CSN, cited by BioBioChile, its epicenter was 20.71 kilometers west of Punta de Choros, a fishing village in the municipality of La Higuera. That tremor occurred about 1,300 kilometers south of Iquique.
Sources differ on the depth of the Coquimbo earthquake. Emol reported 34 kilometers, while BioBioChile and the CSN report published on X indicated 48.35 kilometers. Neither outlet reported damage following that earthquake.
