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M3.9 Earthquake near Vallenar, Chile — 11 November 2026

A minor earthquake of magnitude 3.9 was recorded near Vallenar, Chile on , with an epicentre 34 km east-southeast of Vallenar, at a focal depth of 113.2 km. It ranked as the 26th strongest of 27 earthquakes recorded in Chile in the preceding 30 days.

3.9 Minor

Time (UTC): 2026-11-11 18:41:56

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 3.9 (minor)

Focal depth: 113.2 km (intermediate)

Epicentre: -28.6411, -70.4194

Location: 34 km ESE of Vallenar, 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 3.9 earthquake radiates roughly 11 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 234, 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 14:00 local solar time at the epicentre, during the afternoon.

This event was deeper than 72% of the 780 earthquakes recorded in Chile in our catalogue and stronger than 3% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at -28.6411, -70.4194 — 34 km east-southeast of Vallenar. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.0 earthquake 5 km north-northeast of here on 24 November 2025.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Huasco (81 km northwest), Vicuña (99 km southeast), Vallenar (102 km southeast) and La Higuera (112 km southwest).

Why the 113 km depth matters

At 113 km this was an intermediate-depth earthquake. Energy from events at this depth spreads out before it reaches the surface, which usually means weaker shaking near the epicentre than a shallow quake of the same magnitude, but shaking felt across a wider area.

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 intermediate depth normally reduces peak shaking near the epicentre compared with a shallow 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 M3.9 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; its 113 km focal depth is too great to deform the sea floor significantly; 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 since this event was recorded.

105 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.4 event near Diego de Almagro on 06 June 2025. This M3.9 event released about 5,623 times less energy than that event.

10 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 1 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 November 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Chile during November 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 3 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 3 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Vallenar?

It measured magnitude 3.9 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 3.9 earthquake radiates roughly 11 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Vallenar?

The focus was 113 km below the surface, which counts as intermediate.

Was the Vallenar earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 3.9 and a focal depth of 113 km, the depth spreads the energy out, so shaking is weaker overhead but reaches further.

When did the earthquake near Vallenar happen?

11 November 2026 at 18:41 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 since this event was recorded.

How often do earthquakes happen near Vallenar?

105 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.4 event near Diego de Almagro on 06 June 2025. This M3.9 event released about 5,623 times less energy than that event.