In the South Pacific Ocean 53 kilometer from Valparaíso, Chile, a shallow and significant M5.1 earthquake occurred in the evening of Tuesday July 14th, 2026. Another country near the epicenter is Argentina.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 44 kilometers (27 mi) off the coast of Chile, 53 kilometer northwest of Valparaíso. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 26 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jul 14, 2026 21:09 (Santiago Time) - Jul 15, 2026 01:09 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 53 km NW of Valparaíso, Chile. Coordinates 32°36'12"S 71°51'45"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 18 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 . |
| Depth: | 26 km (16 mi) A quite 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
Chile and Argentina are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Valparaíso in Valparaíso, Chile is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 53 kilometer (33 mi) northwest of Valparaíso.
Major cities near this earthquake: Santiago is located 148 km to the south-east. Viña del Mar is located 55 km to the south-east. Valparaíso is located 53 km to the south-east.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 53 km (33 mi) SE from epicenter |
Valparaíso Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 55 km (34 mi) SE from epicenter |
Viña del Mar Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 62 km (39 mi) E from epicenter |
La Ligua Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 63 km (39 mi) SE from epicenter |
Quilpué Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 64 km (40 mi) E from epicenter |
Hacienda La Calera Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 65 km (40 mi) SE from epicenter |
Quillota Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 67 km (42 mi) SE from epicenter |
Villa Alemana Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 72 km (45 mi) SE from epicenter |
Limache Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 89 km (55 mi) E from epicenter |
Llaillay Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 108 km (67 mi) E from epicenter |
San Felipe Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 108 km (67 mi) S from epicenter |
Cartagena Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 113 km (70 mi) S from epicenter |
San Antonio Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 119 km (74 mi) SE from epicenter |
Lampa Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 121 km (75 mi) E from epicenter |
Los Andes Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 126 km (78 mi) NE from epicenter |
Illapel Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 135 km (84 mi) SE from epicenter |
Melipilla Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 136 km (85 mi) SE from epicenter |
Chicureo Abajo Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 141 km (88 mi) SE from epicenter |
Lo Prado Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 144 km (89 mi) SE from epicenter |
Peñaflor Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 145 km (90 mi) SE from epicenter |
El Monte Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 147 km (91 mi) SE from epicenter |
Talagante Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 148 km (92 mi) SE from epicenter |
Santiago Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 154 km (96 mi) SE from epicenter |
San Bernardo Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 158 km (98 mi) SE from epicenter |
La Pintana Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 163 km (101 mi) SE from epicenter |
Buin Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 164 km (102 mi) SE from epicenter |
Puente Alto Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 170 km (106 mi) SE from epicenter |
Paine Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 194 km (121 mi) SE from epicenter |
Graneros O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 203 km (126 mi) SE from epicenter |
Rancagua O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 208 km (129 mi) SE from epicenter |
Machalí O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 216 km (134 mi) S from epicenter |
San Vicente O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 217 km (135 mi) S from epicenter |
San Vicente de Tagua Tagua O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 221 km (137 mi) SE from epicenter |
Rengo O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 231 km (144 mi) S from epicenter |
Santa Cruz O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 231 km (144 mi) N from epicenter |
Ovalle Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 246 km (153 mi) S from epicenter |
Chimbarongo O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 271 km (168 mi) S from epicenter |
Curicó Maule Region, Chile. |
| 284 km (176 mi) S from epicenter |
Molina Maule Region, Chile. |
| 286 km (178 mi) E from epicenter |
Mendoza Mendoza, Argentina. |
| 299 km (186 mi) N from epicenter |
Coquimbo Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
Shaking reported by 18 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 18 people have reported shaking in 6 places, all within 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:
- Santiago, Metropolitana, Chile: 7 people.
- Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, Chile: 6 people.
- Quilpué, Valparaíso, Chile: 2 people.
- La Ligua, Valparaíso, Chile: 1 person.
- Lampa, Metropolitana, Chile: 1 person.
- Limache, Valparaíso, Chile: 1 person.
8 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 8 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 12 km (7 mi) west of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 3 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.2
Before this earthquake struck, 7 smaller foreshocks occurred. Roughly 3 days before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.8 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.8 |
3 days earlier Jul 12, 2026 08:23 (Santiago Time) | 92 km (57 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
3 days earlier Jul 12, 2026 08:43 (Santiago Time) | 53 km (33 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
2 days earlier Jul 12, 2026 17:19 (Santiago Time) | 88 km (55 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
2 days earlier Jul 13, 2026 05:45 (Santiago Time) | 10 km (6 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
1 day earlier Jul 13, 2026 20:06 (Santiago Time) | 86 km (53 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
10 hrs earlier Jul 14, 2026 11:33 (Santiago Time) | 69 km (43 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
49 mins earlier Jul 14, 2026 20:19 (Santiago Time) | 6 km (4 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Jul 14, 2026 21:09 (Santiago Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
4 mins later Jul 14, 2026 21:12 (Santiago Time) | 9 km (5 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
39 mins later Jul 14, 2026 21:48 (Santiago Time) | 1.2 km (0.7 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
1 hr later Jul 14, 2026 22:28 (Santiago Time) | 8 km (5 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
2 hrs later Jul 14, 2026 23:21 (Santiago Time) | 81 km (50 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
3 hrs later Jul 14, 2026 23:58 (Santiago Time) | 6 km (4 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.9 |
3 hrs later Jul 15, 2026 00:09 (Santiago Time) | 6 km (4 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
3 hrs later Jul 15, 2026 00:18 (Santiago Time) | 12 km (7 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.9 |
4 hrs later Jul 15, 2026 01:21 (Santiago Time) | 9 km (5 mi) E from Main Shock. |
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.
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 May 31st, 2026, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 25 km (16 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on April 24th, 2017.
In total, 78 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 2 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 26 km (16 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 15/07/26 06:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000t0it
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260715_0000012
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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