A shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 62 kilometer from San Antonio, Chile around noon of Friday September 25th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, right off the coast of Chile (12 mi offshore), 62 kilometer southwest of San Antonio in Valparaíso. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 29 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Sep 25, 2026 12:29 (Santiago Time) - Sep 25, 2026 15:29 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 62 km SW of San Antonio, Valparaíso, Chile. Coordinates 33°57'58"S 72°6'28"W. |
| Map: | ![]() Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 17 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.075 . |
| Depth: | 29 km (18 mi) A quite 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 . San Antonio in Valparaíso, Chile is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 62 kilometer (39 mi) southwest of San Antonio.
Major cities near this earthquake: Santiago is located 146 km to the north-east. Puente Alto is located 147 km to the east. Viña del Mar is located 117 km to the north-east.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 62 km (39 mi) NE from epicenter |
San Antonio Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 65 km (40 mi) NE from epicenter |
Cartagena Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 88 km (55 mi) E from epicenter |
Melipilla Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 101 km (63 mi) SE from epicenter |
Santa Cruz O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 108 km (67 mi) SE from epicenter |
San Vicente O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 108 km (67 mi) SE from epicenter |
San Vicente de Tagua Tagua O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 109 km (68 mi) E from epicenter |
El Monte Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 113 km (70 mi) NE from epicenter |
Valparaíso Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 114 km (71 mi) E from epicenter |
Talagante Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 117 km (73 mi) NE from epicenter |
Viña del Mar Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 119 km (74 mi) NE from epicenter |
Quilpué Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 121 km (75 mi) E from epicenter |
Peñaflor Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 123 km (76 mi) NE from epicenter |
Villa Alemana Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 125 km (78 mi) SE from epicenter |
Rengo O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 127 km (79 mi) E from epicenter |
Paine Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 128 km (80 mi) E from epicenter |
Graneros O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 128 km (80 mi) E from epicenter |
Rancagua O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 128 km (80 mi) SE from epicenter |
Chimbarongo O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 129 km (80 mi) E from epicenter |
Buin Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 131 km (81 mi) NE from epicenter |
Limache Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 136 km (85 mi) E from epicenter |
Machalí O'Higgins Region, Chile. |
| 137 km (85 mi) E from epicenter |
San Bernardo Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 137 km (85 mi) NE from epicenter |
Lampa Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 138 km (86 mi) SE from epicenter |
Curicó Maule Region, Chile. |
| 140 km (87 mi) NE from epicenter |
Lo Prado Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 143 km (89 mi) E from epicenter |
La Pintana Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 144 km (89 mi) NE from epicenter |
Quillota Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 146 km (91 mi) NE from epicenter |
Santiago Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 147 km (91 mi) E from epicenter |
Puente Alto Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 148 km (92 mi) SE from epicenter |
Molina Maule Region, Chile. |
| 155 km (96 mi) NE from epicenter |
Chicureo Abajo Santiago Metropolitan, Chile. |
| 155 km (96 mi) S from epicenter |
Constitución Maule Region, Chile. |
| 155 km (96 mi) NE from epicenter |
Hacienda La Calera Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 165 km (103 mi) NE from epicenter |
Llaillay Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 168 km (104 mi) S from epicenter |
Talca Maule Region, Chile. |
| 184 km (114 mi) S from epicenter |
San Javier Maule Region, Chile. |
| 186 km (116 mi) NE from epicenter |
San Felipe Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 187 km (116 mi) NE from epicenter |
La Ligua Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 188 km (117 mi) NE from epicenter |
Los Andes Valparaíso, Chile. |
| 214 km (133 mi) S from epicenter |
Linares Maule Region, Chile. |
| 223 km (139 mi) S from epicenter |
Cauquenes Maule Region, Chile. |
| 243 km (151 mi) S from epicenter |
Parral Maule Region, Chile. |
| 274 km (170 mi) S from epicenter |
San Carlos Ñuble, Chile. |
| 274 km (170 mi) N from epicenter |
Illapel Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 294 km (183 mi) S from epicenter |
Chillán Ñuble, Chile. |
Shaking reported by 8 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 8 people have reported shaking in 3 places, all within 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:
- Santiago, Metropolitana, Chile: 5 people.
- Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, Chile: 2 people.
- Melipilla, Metropolitana, Chile: 1 person.
2 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 22 km (14 mi) east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 3 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 3.2
In the days before this main shock, 13 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.4 |
1 day earlier Sep 24, 2026 03:03 (Santiago Time) | 12 km (7 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.3 |
1 day earlier Sep 24, 2026 04:07 (Santiago Time) | 15 km (9 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.6 |
1 day earlier Sep 24, 2026 04:16 (Santiago Time) | 14 km (8 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
1 day earlier Sep 24, 2026 04:20 (Santiago Time) | 14 km (8 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
1 day earlier Sep 24, 2026 04:47 (Santiago Time) | 16 km (10 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.4 |
1 day earlier Sep 24, 2026 05:04 (Santiago Time) | 14 km (9 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
1 day earlier Sep 24, 2026 05:05 (Santiago Time) | 15 km (9 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.8 |
1 day earlier Sep 24, 2026 05:22 (Santiago Time) | 15 km (9 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
1 day earlier Sep 24, 2026 05:41 (Santiago Time) | 12 km (7 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
1 day earlier Sep 24, 2026 08:23 (Santiago Time) | 15 km (9 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.3 |
1 day earlier Sep 24, 2026 09:22 (Santiago Time) | 20 km (13 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
22 hrs earlier Sep 24, 2026 14:00 (Santiago Time) | 13 km (8 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.3 |
22 hrs earlier Sep 24, 2026 14:30 (Santiago Time) | 15 km (9 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Sep 25, 2026 12:29 (Santiago Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.9 |
1 hr later Sep 25, 2026 13:39 (Santiago Time) | 10 km (6 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.2 |
3 hrs later Sep 25, 2026 15:40 (Santiago Time) | 22 km (14 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 May 31st, 2026, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 128 km (80 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on April 24th, 2017.
In total, 44 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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.
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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 29 km (18 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 25/09/26 22:58 (). 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.

