Shallow M5.4 Earthquake struck on Thursday Afternoon near Chilecito in Argentina.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 1st, 2025. Last updated May 20th, 2025.

A shallow and significant MAG-5.4 earthquake struck under land 68 kilometer from Chilecito in Argentina in the early afternoon of Thursday May 1st, 2025. Around 1.1 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Argentina, 68 kilometer (42 mi) north of Chilecito in La Rioja. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 11 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 1, 2025 13:04 (La Rioja Time) - May 1, 2025 16:04 Universal Time.
Location:	68 km north of Chilecito, La Rioja, Argentina. Coordinates 28°33'12"S 67°27'34"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 14 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.083 .
Depth:	11 km (7 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. 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 68% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 98% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 1.1 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 1.1 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Strong shaking and probably light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 1,790 people. At VI, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 0.9 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Argentina , around 1.1 million people, with impact levels up to VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). People were exposed to shaking in Chile as well.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
22,260	II	Very weak	None
922,900	III	Weak	Probably none
119,200	IV	Light	Likely none
3,890	V	Moderate	Very light
1,790	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 Argentina . Located 68 kilometer (42 mi) north of the epicenter of this earthquake, Chilecito (La Rioja, Argentina) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Chilecito is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: San Miguel de Tucumán is located 292 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). La Rioja is located 112 km to the south-southeast and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Catamarca is located 164 km to the east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
68 km (42 mi) S from epicenter	Chilecito La Rioja, Argentina.	IV Light
112 km (70 mi) SSE from epicenter	La Rioja La Rioja, Argentina.	III Weak
164 km (102 mi) E from epicenter	Catamarca Catamarca, Argentina.	III Weak
220 km (137 mi) NE from epicenter	Aguilares Tucuman, Argentina.	III Weak
225 km (140 mi) SSW from epicenter	San José de Jáchal San Juan, Argentina.	III Weak
247 km (153 mi) NE from epicenter	Monteros Tucuman, Argentina.	III Weak
262 km (163 mi) NE from epicenter	Famaillá Tucuman, Argentina.
271 km (168 mi) NE from epicenter	Bella Vista Tucuman, Argentina.
281 km (175 mi) ENE from epicenter	Termas de Río Hondo Santiago del Estero, Argentina.
286 km (178 mi) NE from epicenter	Yerba Buena Tucuman, Argentina.
292 km (181 mi) NE from epicenter	San Miguel de Tucumán Tucuman, Argentina.
297 km (185 mi) NE from epicenter	Tafí Viejo Tucuman, Argentina.
300 km (186 mi) NE from epicenter	Alderetes Tucuman, Argentina.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VI.

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 11 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 11 people have reported shaking in 3 places, all within Argentina.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

La Rioja, La Rioja, Argentina: 7 people.
Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina: 2 people.
San Juan, San Juan, Argentina: 2 people.

Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. Just 4 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.2 was detected 13 km (8 mi) west of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Roughly 3 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.1 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 3.1	3 days earlier Apr 28, 2025 21:35 (La Rioja Time)	47 km (29 mi) N from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.4	May 1, 2025 13:04 (La Rioja Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.2	4 mins later May 1, 2025 13:08 (La Rioja Time)	13 km (8 mi) W from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

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 are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 24th, 2024, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 40 km (25 mi) further north-northeast. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 11 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 year.

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.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. 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.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 11 km (7 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 20/05/25 00:38 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.