Shallow M5.5 Earthquake struck on Saturday Evening near Huancayo in Peru.

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

Under land 19 kilometer from Huancayo in Peru, a shallow and significant M5.5 earthquake occurred in the evening of Saturday July 18th, 2026. Earthquakes like this can cause significant economic damage and have a significant risk at casualties.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Peru, 19 kilometer (12 mi) west of Huancayo in Junin. 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:	Jul 18, 2026 21:24 (Lima Time) - Jul 19, 2026 02:24 Universal Time.
Location:	19 km west of Huancayo, Junin, Peru. Coordinates 12°4'48"S 75°22'55"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 28 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.059 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe 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.

Significant impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

Four persons killed, 23 injured, 1136 homes destroyed and 1260 damaged, at least 27 buildings and 100 roads damaged in Chupaca. Two persons killed, 177 injured, 1378 homes destroyed and 1418 damaged; 45 buildings damaged and 16 roads damaged in Huancayo. Seven homes destroyed in Concepcion; at least 12 homes destroyed and 94 damaged, 1 building damaged in Huancavelica; 40 homes destroyed and 15 damaged in Tayacaja. Power outages reported in the Huancavelica-Junin area.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 42% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 fatalities, and a 91% chance that the number of fatalities falls between 1 and 1,000.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 43% likelyhood of between 10 and 100 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 91% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls between 1 and 1,000 million USD.

Roughly 15 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 15 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VII, which corresponds with very strong shaking and likely moderate damage. Roughly 139,900 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 13 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Peru .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Peru . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Chilca in Junin, Peru. Chilca is located 19 kilometer (12 mi) west of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Chilca is estimated to be around level VI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (strong shaking, probably light damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Lima is located 179 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Huancayo is located 19 km to the east and experienced an intensity of VI (strong shaking, probably light damage). Callao is located 189 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VII.

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 14 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 14 people have reported shaking in 5 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:

• Chupaca, Junín, Peru: 5 people.
• Huancayo, Junín, Peru: 5 people.
• Lima, Lima Provincias, Peru: 2 people.
• Sicaya, Junín, Peru: 1 person.
• Santa María, Lima Provincias, Peru: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

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 19th, 2026, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 232 km (144 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck on October 28th, 2022.

In total, 15 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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 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

Sources

Last updated 20/08/26 02:48 (). 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 us7000t1q7
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260719_0000027
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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