Significant M5.4 Earthquake struck on Friday Morning 128km from Cusco in Peru.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 7th, 2025. Last updated March 11th, 2025.

In the morning of Friday March 7th, 2025, a significant M5.4 earthquake hit under land 128 kilometer from Cusco in Peru. Around 3.4 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Peru, 128 kilometer (80 mi) south of Cusco. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 107 km.

Date and Time:	Mar 7, 2025 07:17 (Lima Time) - Mar 7, 2025 12:17 Universal Time.
Location:	128 km south of Cusco, Peru. Coordinates 14°40'16"S 72°4'52"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 40 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.049 .
Depth:	107 km (66 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Tsunami's are usually caused by MAG-6.5+ earthquakes, less than 100km shallow, and with an epicenter under sea. Neither of this seems to be the case. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 3.4 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 3.4 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 164,600 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 3.1 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Peru .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
157,500	II	Very weak	None
3,070,000	III	Weak	Probably none
164,600	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Peru . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Yauri in Cusco, Peru. Yauri is located 73 kilometer (45 mi) west of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Yauri is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Arequipa is located 201 km to the south-southeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Cusco is located 128 km to the north and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Juliaca is located 229 km to the east-southeast (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
73 km (45 mi) E from epicenter	Yauri Cusco, Peru.	IV Light
102 km (63 mi) ENE from epicenter	Sicuani Cusco, Peru.	III Weak
128 km (80 mi) N from epicenter	Cusco Cusco, Peru.	III Weak
128 km (80 mi) N from epicenter	Santiago Cusco, Peru.	III Weak
128 km (80 mi) N from epicenter	Wanchaq Cusco, Peru.	III Weak
144 km (89 mi) NW from epicenter	Abancay Apurímac, Peru.	III Weak
162 km (101 mi) E from epicenter	Ayaviri Puno, Peru.	III Weak
181 km (112 mi) NW from epicenter	Andahuaylas Apurímac, Peru.	III Weak
189 km (117 mi) S from epicenter	El Pedregal Arequipa, Peru.	III Weak
191 km (119 mi) SSE from epicenter	Cono Norte Arequipa, Peru.	III Weak
198 km (123 mi) SSE from epicenter	Selva Alegre Arequipa, Peru.	III Weak
201 km (125 mi) SSE from epicenter	Arequipa Arequipa, Peru.	III Weak
204 km (127 mi) SSE from epicenter	Ciudad Satelite Arequipa, Peru.	III Weak
205 km (127 mi) SSE from epicenter	Jacobo Hunter Arequipa, Peru.	III Weak
212 km (132 mi) NNW from epicenter	Santa Ana Cusco, Peru.	II Weak
227 km (141 mi) SSW from epicenter	Camaná Arequipa, Peru.
229 km (142 mi) ESE from epicenter	Juliaca Puno, Peru.
257 km (160 mi) ESE from epicenter	Puno Puno, Peru.
262 km (163 mi) S from epicenter	Mollendo Arequipa, Peru.
283 km (176 mi) E from epicenter	La Rinconada Puno, Peru.
286 km (178 mi) NW from epicenter	Ayacucho Ayacucho, Peru.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 6 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 6 people have reported shaking in 2 places in Peru.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Cusco, Cusco, Peru: 5 people.
Santo Tomás, Cusco, Peru: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since June 28th, 2024, when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit 285 km (177 mi) further west-southwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 27 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 5 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

It is very unlikely that this eartquake will cause any tsunami's. The reported magnitude is lower than the MAG-6.5 strength required to cause any earthquakes. In addition, this earthquake was not very shallow and appears to have occurred under land. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 107 km (66 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 11/03/25 11:38 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.