Significant M5.8 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Afternoon near Ica in Peru.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 19th, 2026. Last updated May 20th, 2026.

A significant M5.8 earthquake struck under land 28 kilometer from Ica in Peru in the early afternoon of Tuesday May 19th, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 2.4 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Peru, 28 kilometer (17 mi) south-east of Ica. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 57 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 19, 2026 12:57 (Lima Time) - May 19, 2026 17:57 Universal Time.
Location:	28 km SE of Ica, Peru. Coordinates 14°12'27"S 75°31'0"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 32 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.055 .
Depth:	57 km (35 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 2.4 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 2.4 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 352,800 people were exposed to level V. At this level, moderate shaking and very light damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 1.3 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Peru .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Peru . Located 28 kilometer (17 mi) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Ica (Ica, Peru) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Ica is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Lima is located 291 km to the northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Ica is located 28 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Callao is located 295 km to the northwest (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

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is V. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 27 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 27 people have reported shaking in 10 places, all within 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:

• Lima, Lima Provincias, Peru: 9 people.
• San Luis, Lima Provincias, Peru: 7 people.
• Vista Alegre, Ica, Peru: 2 people.
• Pisco, Ica, Peru: 2 people.
• Santa María, Lima Provincias, Peru: 2 people.
• Subtanjalla, Ica, Peru: 1 person.
• Ica, Ica, Peru: 1 person.
• Los Aquijes, Ica, Peru: 1 person.
• Marcona, Ica, Peru: 1 person.
• Colán, Piura, Peru: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. A 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit 4 hrs later 25 km (16 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

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.

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 May 17th, 2025, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 160 km (99 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on June 28th, 2024.

In total, 9 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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

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

Sources

Last updated 20/05/26 04:28 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000syt5
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260519_0000266
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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