In the night of Thursday September 10th, 2026, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit under land 250 kilometer from Jaén in Peru. Another country near the epicenter is Ecuador.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Peru, 250 kilometer (155 mi) north-east of Jaén in Cajamarca. 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: | Sep 10, 2026 01:42 (Guayaquil Time) - Sep 10, 2026 06:42 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 199 km SE of Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador. Coordinates 3°52'23"S 77°30'10"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| 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. |
Nearby towns and cities
Ecuador and Peru are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Zamora in Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 163 kilometer (101 mi) east of Zamora.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Cuenca is located 199 km to the northwest. Machala is located 281 km to the west. Loja is located 189 km to the west.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 163 km (101 mi) W from epicenter |
Zamora Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador. |
| 179 km (111 mi) NW from epicenter |
Gualaceo Azuay, Ecuador. |
| 187 km (116 mi) N from epicenter |
Macas Morona-Santiago, Ecuador. |
| 189 km (117 mi) W from epicenter |
Loja Loja, Ecuador. |
| 195 km (121 mi) NW from epicenter |
Azogues Cañar, Ecuador. |
| 199 km (124 mi) NW from epicenter |
Cuenca Azuay, Ecuador. |
| 206 km (128 mi) W from epicenter |
Catamayo Loja, Ecuador. |
| 219 km (136 mi) SW from epicenter |
La Peca Amazonas, Peru. |
| 233 km (145 mi) W from epicenter |
Cariamanga Loja, Ecuador. |
| 234 km (145 mi) SW from epicenter |
Bagua Grande Amazonas, Peru. |
| 243 km (151 mi) W from epicenter |
Piñas El Oro, Ecuador. |
| 246 km (153 mi) S from epicenter |
Rioja San Martín, Peru. |
| 247 km (153 mi) S from epicenter |
Moyobamba San Martín, Peru. |
| 250 km (155 mi) SW from epicenter |
Jaén Cajamarca, Peru. |
| 260 km (162 mi) NW from epicenter |
La Troncal Cañar, Ecuador. |
| 263 km (163 mi) W from epicenter |
Pasaje El Oro, Ecuador. |
| 265 km (165 mi) S from epicenter |
Chachapoyas Amazonas, Peru. |
| 270 km (168 mi) NW from epicenter |
Naranjal Guayas, Ecuador. |
| 271 km (168 mi) N from epicenter |
Puyo Pastaza, Ecuador. |
| 273 km (170 mi) SE from epicenter |
Yurimaguas Loreto, Peru. |
| 276 km (171 mi) NW from epicenter |
Riobamba Chimborazo, Ecuador. |
| 277 km (172 mi) W from epicenter |
Santa Rosa El Oro, Ecuador. |
| 281 km (175 mi) W from epicenter |
Machala El Oro, Ecuador. |
| 289 km (180 mi) NW from epicenter |
Naranjito Guayas, Ecuador. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
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.
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 January 8th, 2026, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 41 km (26 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck on November 28th, 2021.
In total, 19 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 6 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
| 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 5.3. 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 10/09/26 08:28 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000tg8v
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260910_0000078
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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