On Monday Night a Significant M5.4 Earthquake struck 180km from Antofagasta in Chile.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 27th, 2026.

Under land 180 kilometer from Antofagasta in Chile, a significant Magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurred in the night of Monday July 27th, 2026. Around 680 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Chile, 180 kilometer (112 mi) east of Antofagasta. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 107 km.

Date and Time:	Jul 27, 2026 04:57 (Santiago Time) - Jul 27, 2026 08:57 Universal Time.
Location:	180 km east of Antofagasta, Chile. Coordinates 23°32'43"S 68°37'59"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 66 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.072 .
Depth:	107 km (66 mi) An intermediate depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely Tsunami's are usually caused by MAG-6.5+ earthquakes, less than 100km shallow, and with an epicenter under sea. Neither of this seems to be the case. 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 680 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 680 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 22,730 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 590 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 3 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 670 thousand people were exposed to shaking in Chile , with level IV (light shaking, likely no damage) as the highest recorded. Other countries where people were exposed to shaking include Bolivia and Argentina.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
63,650	II	Very weak	None
591,900	III	Weak	Probably none
22,730	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Chile . Located 125 kilometer (78 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Calama (Antofagasta, Chile) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Calama is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
125 km (78 mi) N from epicenter	Calama Antofagasta, Chile.	III Weak
180 km (112 mi) W from epicenter	Antofagasta Antofagasta, Chile.	III Weak
228 km (142 mi) NW from epicenter	Tocopilla Antofagasta, Chile.	II Weak

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 IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 4 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 4 people have reported shaking in one place in 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:

Calama, Antofagasta, Chile: 4 people.

2 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 41 km (25 mi) west of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 hr later. It measured a magnitude of 3.6

In the days before this main shock, 7 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 1 day earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.2

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 2.9	2 days earlier Jul 25, 2026 03:45 (Santiago Time)	86 km (53 mi) N from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.2	2 days earlier Jul 25, 2026 06:11 (Santiago Time)	89 km (55 mi) N from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.9	2 days earlier Jul 25, 2026 06:58 (Santiago Time)	56 km (35 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.0	2 days earlier Jul 25, 2026 16:25 (Santiago Time)	48 km (30 mi) N from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 3.2	1 day earlier Jul 26, 2026 02:30 (Santiago Time)	78 km (48 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.9	19 hrs earlier Jul 26, 2026 09:41 (Santiago Time)	94 km (58 mi) NW from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.8	5 hrs earlier Jul 26, 2026 23:50 (Santiago Time)	63 km (39 mi) N from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.4	Jul 27, 2026 04:57 (Santiago Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.6	1 hr later Jul 27, 2026 06:24 (Santiago Time)	41 km (25 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.0	4 hrs later Jul 27, 2026 09:25 (Santiago Time)	14 km (9 mi) N 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 May 25th, 2026, when a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit 131 km (81 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on July 19th, 2024.

In total, 48 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 3 months.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

It is very unlikely that this eartquake will cause any tsunami's. The reported magnitude is lower than the MAG-6.5 strength required to cause any earthquakes. In addition, this earthquake was not very shallow and appears to have occurred under land. However always 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	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 107 km (66 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 27/07/26 22:48 (). 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.