Under land 167 kilometer from San Miguel de Tucumán in Argentina, a shallow and significant M5.3 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Sunday September 20th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Argentina, 167 kilometer (104 mi) northwest of San Miguel de Tucumán in Tucuman. 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 20, 2026 05:47 (Tucuman Time) - Sep 20, 2026 08:47 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 167 km NW of San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucuman, Argentina. Coordinates 25°59'13"S 66°36'42"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 20 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.069 . |
| 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
This earthquake may have been felt in Argentina . Tafí Viejo in Tucuman, Argentina is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 158 kilometer (98 mi) northwest of Tafí Viejo.
Major cities near this earthquake: San Miguel de Tucumán is located 167 km to the south-east. Salta is located 180 km to the north-east. San Salvador de Jujuy is located 239 km to the north-east.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 158 km (98 mi) SE from epicenter |
Tafí Viejo Tucuman, Argentina. |
| 159 km (99 mi) SE from epicenter |
Yerba Buena Tucuman, Argentina. |
| 167 km (104 mi) SE from epicenter |
San Miguel de Tucumán Tucuman, Argentina. |
| 169 km (105 mi) SE from epicenter |
Famaillá Tucuman, Argentina. |
| 172 km (107 mi) SE from epicenter |
Monteros Tucuman, Argentina. |
| 174 km (108 mi) SE from epicenter |
Alderetes Tucuman, Argentina. |
| 175 km (109 mi) SE from epicenter |
Bella Vista Tucuman, Argentina. |
| 180 km (112 mi) NE from epicenter |
Salta Salta, Argentina. |
| 189 km (117 mi) SE from epicenter |
Aguilares Tucuman, Argentina. |
| 239 km (149 mi) NE from epicenter |
San Salvador de Jujuy Jujuy, Argentina. |
| 239 km (149 mi) NE from epicenter |
Palpalá Jujuy, Argentina. |
| 242 km (150 mi) SE from epicenter |
Termas de Río Hondo Santiago del Estero, Argentina. |
| 263 km (163 mi) NE from epicenter |
San Pedro de Jujuy Jujuy, Argentina. |
| 268 km (167 mi) E from epicenter |
Joaquín V. González Salta, Argentina. |
| 288 km (179 mi) S from epicenter |
Catamarca Catamarca, Argentina. |
Shaking reported by 3 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have reported shaking in 2 places in Argentina.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Salta, Salta, Argentina: 2 people.
- Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
Before this earthquake struck, 8 smaller foreshocks occurred. Roughly 15 mins before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.5 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.4 |
3 days earlier Sep 17, 2026 10:23 (Tucuman Time) | 34 km (21 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
3 days earlier Sep 17, 2026 10:49 (Tucuman Time) | 31 km (19 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
2 days earlier Sep 17, 2026 18:25 (Tucuman Time) | 32 km (20 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
2 days earlier Sep 17, 2026 22:05 (Tucuman Time) | 14 km (9 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.4 |
2 days earlier Sep 18, 2026 04:56 (Tucuman Time) | 13 km (8 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.8 |
2 days earlier Sep 18, 2026 10:35 (Tucuman Time) | 2.1 km (1.3 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.7 |
1 day earlier Sep 19, 2026 01:58 (Tucuman Time) | 14 km (9 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.5 |
15 mins earlier Sep 20, 2026 05:32 (Tucuman Time) | 44 km (28 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Sep 20, 2026 05:47 (Tucuman Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
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
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 July 24th, 2026, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 232 km (144 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on May 10th, 2022.
In total, 26 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 5 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 20/09/26 22:58 (). 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 us7000tiq2
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260920_0000110
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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