In the evening of Thursday February 5th, 2026, a significant MAG-5.0 earthquake hit under land 40 kilometer from Iquique in Chile. Another nearby country is Peru.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Chile, 40 kilometer (25 mi) south of Iquique in Tarapacá. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Feb 5, 2026 23:27 (Santiago Time) - Feb 6, 2026 02:27 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 40 km south of Iquique, Tarapacá, Chile. Coordinates 20°34'26"S 70°8'9"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.0 Detected by 77 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.065 . |
| Depth: | 35 km (22 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (6 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Chile and Peru are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.
La Tirana in Tarapacá, Chile is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 32 kilometer (20 mi) south of La Tirana.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Iquique is located 40 km to the north. Alto Hospicio is located 34 km to the north. Tacna is located 285 km to the north.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 32 km (20 mi) N from epicenter |
La Tirana Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 34 km (21 mi) N from epicenter |
Alto Hospicio Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 36 km (22 mi) N from epicenter |
Playa Brava Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 38 km (24 mi) N from epicenter |
Goméz Carreño Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 38 km (24 mi) N from epicenter |
Cavancha Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 39 km (24 mi) N from epicenter |
Caupolicán Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 40 km (25 mi) N from epicenter |
Iquique Tarapacá, Chile. |
| 169 km (105 mi) S from epicenter |
Tocopilla Antofagasta, Chile. |
| 234 km (145 mi) N from epicenter |
Arica Arica y Parinacota, Chile. |
| 244 km (152 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Calama Antofagasta, Chile. |
| 285 km (177 mi) N from epicenter |
Tacna Tacna, Peru. |
Shaking reported by 34 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 34 people have reported shaking in one place in Chile.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Iquique, Tarapacá, Chile: 34 people.
3 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 3 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 6 km (4 mi) east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 13 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 4.4
In the days before this main shock, 3 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit 17 hrs earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.5 |
2 days earlier Feb 4, 2026 08:59 (Santiago Time) | 94 km (59 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.2 |
17 hrs earlier Feb 5, 2026 06:01 (Santiago Time) | 98 km (61 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
16 hrs earlier Feb 5, 2026 07:28 (Santiago Time) | 31 km (19 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.0 |
Feb 5, 2026 23:27 (Santiago Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.2 |
2 mins later Feb 5, 2026 23:29 (Santiago Time) | 2.7 km (1.7 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
13 mins later Feb 5, 2026 23:40 (Santiago Time) | 6 km (4 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.6 |
3 hrs later Feb 6, 2026 02:06 (Santiago Time) | 4 km (2.4 mi) NE 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 January 16th, 2026, when a 5 magnitude earthquake hit 80 km (50 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck on January 21st, 2018.
In total, 143 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5 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 26 days.
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 | This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (6 km from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 35 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 06/02/26 22:38 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000s6us
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260206_0000037
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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