Earthquake.now

M2.8 Earthquake near Pozo Almonte, Chile — 21 October 2026

A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.8 was recorded near Pozo Almonte, Chile on , with an epicentre 17 km southwest of Pozo Almonte, at a focal depth of 46.4 km. It ranked as the 26th strongest of 26 earthquakes recorded in Chile in the preceding 30 days.

2.8 Minor

Time (UTC): 2026-10-21 21:15:50

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 2.8 (minor)

Focal depth: 46.4 km (shallow)

Epicentre: -20.3503, -69.9156

Location: 17 km SW of Pozo Almonte, Chile

Country: Chile

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage.

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake radiates roughly 239 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 121, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

When it happened locally

That is about 16:36 local solar time at the epicentre, during the afternoon.

This event was shallower than 62% of the 761 earthquakes recorded in Chile in our catalogue and stronger than 1% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at -20.3503, -69.9156 — 17 km southwest of Pozo Almonte. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 3.2 earthquake 16 km west-southwest of here on 28 July 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Alto Hospicio (19 km west-northwest), Huara (32 km north), Cavancha (32 km west-northwest) and Barrio Industrial (44 km northwest).

Why the 46 km depth matters

At 46 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size may be noticed locally, especially close to the epicentre. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M2.8 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 8 hours since this event.

296 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.1 event near María Elena on 02 January 2025. This M2.8 event released about 89,125 times less energy than that event.

36 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 3 of them in the past 30 days.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the October 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Chile during October 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in Chile

All recorded earthquakes in Chile →

Other magnitude 2 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 2 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Pozo Almonte?

It measured magnitude 2.8 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 2.8 earthquake radiates roughly 239 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Pozo Almonte?

The focus was 46 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.

Was the Pozo Almonte earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 2.8 and a focal depth of 46 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.

When did the earthquake near Pozo Almonte happen?

21 October 2026 at 21:15 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 8 hours since this event.

How often do earthquakes happen near Pozo Almonte?

296 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.1 event near María Elena on 02 January 2025. This M2.8 event released about 89,125 times less energy than that event.