In the South Pacific Ocean 146 kilometer from Copiapó, Chile, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Wednesday July 22nd, 2026.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 63 kilometers (39 mi) off the coast of Chile, 146 kilometer southwest of Copiapó in Atacama. 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 22, 2026 05:34 (Santiago Time) - Jul 22, 2026 09:34 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 146 km SW of Copiapó, Atacama, Chile. Coordinates 27°51'60"S 71°42'3"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 83 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.062 . |
| 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 Chile . Vallenar in Atacama, Chile is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 121 kilometer (75 mi) northwest of Vallenar.
Major cities near this earthquake: Copiapó is located 146 km to the north-east. Coquimbo is located 235 km to the south. La Serena is located 231 km to the south.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 121 km (75 mi) SE from epicenter |
Vallenar Atacama, Chile. |
| 146 km (91 mi) NE from epicenter |
Copiapó Atacama, Chile. |
| 231 km (144 mi) S from epicenter |
La Serena Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 232 km (144 mi) NE from epicenter |
Diego de Almagro Atacama, Chile. |
| 235 km (146 mi) S from epicenter |
Coquimbo Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. A 2.7 magnitude earthquake hit 42 mins later 81 km (50 mi) east of this earthquake.
In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.3
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.8 |
3 days earlier Jul 19, 2026 15:53 (Santiago Time) | 85 km (53 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.3 |
2 days earlier Jul 20, 2026 00:13 (Santiago Time) | 62 km (38 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Jul 22, 2026 05:34 (Santiago Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
42 mins later Jul 22, 2026 06:16 (Santiago Time) | 81 km (50 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.
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 June 11th, 2026, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 8 km (5 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on September 1st, 2020.
In total, 69 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 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 22/07/26 23:58 (). 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 us7000t2fd
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260722_0000142
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
