In the morning of Thursday January 8th, 2026, a shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake hit under land 94 kilometer from San Juan in Argentina.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Argentina, 94 kilometer (58 mi) east-northeast of San Juan. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jan 8, 2026 11:14 (San Juan Time) - Jan 8, 2026 14:14 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 94 km ENE of San Juan, Argentina. Coordinates 31°16'8"S 67°35'36"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 241 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.037 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| 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. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Argentina . Caucete in San Juan, Argentina is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 78 kilometer (48 mi) north-east of Caucete.
Major cities near this earthquake: San Juan is located 94 km to the west-southwest. Mendoza is located 215 km to the south-southwest. La Rioja is located 219 km to the north-northeast.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 78 km (48 mi) SW from epicenter |
Caucete San Juan, Argentina. |
| 90 km (56 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Albardón San Juan, Argentina. |
| 91 km (57 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Santa Lucía San Juan, Argentina. |
| 92 km (57 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Chimbas San Juan, Argentina. |
| 93 km (58 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Villa Paula de Sarmiento San Juan, Argentina. |
| 94 km (58 mi) WSW from epicenter |
San Juan San Juan, Argentina. |
| 105 km (65 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Pocito San Juan, Argentina. |
| 159 km (99 mi) NW from epicenter |
San José de Jáchal San Juan, Argentina. |
| 215 km (134 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Mendoza Mendoza, Argentina. |
| 218 km (135 mi) SSW from epicenter |
San Martín Mendoza, Argentina. |
| 219 km (136 mi) NNE from epicenter |
La Rioja La Rioja, Argentina. |
| 234 km (145 mi) N from epicenter |
Chilecito La Rioja, Argentina. |
| 240 km (149 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Villa Dolores Cordoba, Argentina. |
| 254 km (158 mi) SSE from epicenter |
San Luis San Luis, Argentina. |
| 273 km (170 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Cruz del Eje Cordoba, Argentina. |
| 294 km (183 mi) E from epicenter |
Villa Carlos Paz Cordoba, Argentina. |
| 296 km (184 mi) E from epicenter |
La Falda Cordoba, Argentina. |
| 297 km (185 mi) E from epicenter |
Cosquín Cordoba, Argentina. |
Shaking reported by 4 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 4 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:
- San Juan, San Juan, Argentina: 2 people.
- Mendoza, Mendoza, Argentina: 1 person.
- Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina: 1 person.
3 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 3 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 3.2 magnitude earthquake hit 10 hrs later 79 km (49 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake.
In the days before this main shock, 10 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 3.1 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
3 days earlier Jan 5, 2026 18:52 (San Juan Time) | 88 km (54 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
2 days earlier Jan 6, 2026 02:12 (San Juan Time) | 48 km (30 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
2 days earlier Jan 6, 2026 05:34 (San Juan Time) | 98 km (61 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
2 days earlier Jan 6, 2026 10:52 (San Juan Time) | 76 km (47 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
1 day earlier Jan 7, 2026 01:33 (San Juan Time) | 88 km (54 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
1 day earlier Jan 7, 2026 06:35 (San Juan Time) | 19 km (12 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
1 day earlier Jan 7, 2026 10:12 (San Juan Time) | 98 km (61 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
17 hrs earlier Jan 7, 2026 17:59 (San Juan Time) | 46 km (28 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
14 hrs earlier Jan 7, 2026 20:51 (San Juan Time) | 83 km (52 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
58 mins earlier Jan 8, 2026 10:17 (San Juan Time) | 23 km (14 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Jan 8, 2026 11:14 (San Juan Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.2 |
10 hrs later Jan 8, 2026 21:03 (San Juan Time) | 79 km (49 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
13 hrs later Jan 9, 2026 00:28 (San Juan Time) | 94 km (58 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
13 hrs later Jan 9, 2026 00:43 (San Juan Time) | 2 km (1.2 mi) SW 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.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major 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 October 20th, 2024, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 120 km (74 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck on January 19th, 2021.
In total, 16 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 8 months.
Tsunami very unlikely
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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 09/01/26 10:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000rnfk
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260108_0000204
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
