Strong and shallow M6.0 earthquake hits near Valparaíso, Chile
A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit offshore Valparaíso, Chile at 21:34 UTC (17:34 LT) on May 31, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 15.7 km (9.8 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 16 km (9.9 miles).
Epicenter of M6.0 earthquake in offshore Valparaíso, Chile on May 31, 2026. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 36 km (22 miles) NW of Valparaíso (population 282 448), 40 km (25 miles) SE of Viña del Mar (population 294 551), 50 km (30.6 miles) NW of Quilpué (population 130 263), 55 km (33 miles) SE of Villa Alemana (population 97 320), and 58 km (36 miles) ESE of Quillota (population 67 779), Chile.
51 000 people are estimated to have felt moderate shaking, 8 449 000 light and 2 261 000 weak.
There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are adobe block and rubble/field stone masonry construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides and liquefaction that might have contributed to losses.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.0 earthquake offshore Valparaíso, Chile – USGS – May 31, 2026
2 M6.0 earthquake offshore Valparaíso, Chile – EMSC – May 31, 2026
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
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