A shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 130 kilometer from Ica, Peru deep in the night of Thursday April 16th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometers (51 mi) off the coast of Peru, 130 kilometer southwest of Ica. 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: | Apr 16, 2026 03:09 (Lima Time) - Apr 16, 2026 08:09 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 130 km SW of Ica, Peru. Coordinates 14°39'32"S 76°46'1"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 556 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.024 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Peru . Located 122 kilometer (76 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Pisco (Ica, Peru) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Lima is located 292 km to the north. Callao is located 292 km to the north. Ica is located 130 km to the north-east.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 122 km (76 mi) NE from epicenter |
Pisco Ica, Peru. |
| 129 km (80 mi) NE from epicenter |
San Clemente Ica, Peru. |
| 130 km (81 mi) NE from epicenter |
Ica Ica, Peru. |
| 155 km (96 mi) NE from epicenter |
Chincha Alta Ica, Peru. |
| 181 km (112 mi) N from epicenter |
San Vicente de Cañete Lima Region, Peru. |
| 183 km (114 mi) N from epicenter |
Nuevo Imperial Lima Region, Peru. |
| 183 km (114 mi) N from epicenter |
Imperial Lima Region, Peru. |
| 188 km (117 mi) E from epicenter |
Minas de Marcona Ica, Peru. |
| 198 km (123 mi) E from epicenter |
Nazca Ica, Peru. |
| 223 km (139 mi) N from epicenter |
Mala Lima Region, Peru. |
| 282 km (175 mi) N from epicenter |
Santiago de Surco Lima Region, Peru. |
| 285 km (177 mi) NE from epicenter |
Huancavelica Huancavelica, Peru. |
| 286 km (178 mi) N from epicenter |
San Isidro Lima Region, Peru. |
| 287 km (178 mi) N from epicenter |
San Francisco De Borja Lima Region, Peru. |
| 289 km (180 mi) N from epicenter |
Jesus Maria Lima Region, Peru. |
| 291 km (181 mi) N from epicenter |
Santa Anita - Los Ficus Lima Region, Peru. |
| 291 km (181 mi) N from epicenter |
Breña Lima Region, Peru. |
| 292 km (181 mi) N from epicenter |
Callao Callao, Peru. |
| 292 km (181 mi) N from epicenter |
Lima Lima Region, Peru. |
| 292 km (181 mi) N from epicenter |
Carmen De La Legua Reynoso Callao, Peru. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place 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:
- Ica, Ica, Peru: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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 September 23rd, 2025, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 201 km (125 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on June 28th, 2024.
In total, 31 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 4 months.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so 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 under the sea. | 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 16/04/26 19:28 (). 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 us6000sqib
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260416_0000128
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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