In the South Pacific Ocean 93 kilometer from Coquimbo, Chile, a shallow and significant MAG-5.1 earthquake occurred in the evening of Tuesday October 13th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 35 kilometers (21 mi) off the coast of Chile, 93 kilometer northwest of Coquimbo in Coquimbo Region. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 22 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Oct 13, 2026 21:30 (Santiago Time) - Oct 14, 2026 00:30 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 93 km NW of Coquimbo, Coquimbo Region, Chile. Coordinates 29°12'56"S 71°48'9"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 262 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.035 . |
| Depth: | 22 km (14 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is La Serena in Coquimbo Region, Chile. La Serena is located 93 kilometer (58 mi) northwest of the epicenter.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Coquimbo is located 93 km to the south-east. La Serena is located 93 km to the south-east. Copiapó is located 251 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 |
|---|---|
| 93 km (58 mi) SE from epicenter |
Coquimbo Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 93 km (58 mi) SE from epicenter |
La Serena Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 124 km (77 mi) NE from epicenter |
Vallenar Atacama, Chile. |
| 165 km (103 mi) S from epicenter |
Ovalle Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
| 251 km (156 mi) NE from epicenter |
Copiapó Atacama, Chile. |
| 276 km (171 mi) S from epicenter |
Illapel Coquimbo Region, Chile. |
Shaking reported by 2 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have reported shaking in 2 places 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:
- La Serena, Coquimbo, Chile: 1 person.
- Santiago, Metropolitana, Chile: 1 person.
9 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 9 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 6 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5 was detected 11 km (7 mi) west of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 4 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 3.6 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days earlier nearby.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.6 |
3 days earlier Oct 11, 2026 02:58 (Santiago Time) | 75 km (46 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
2 days earlier Oct 11, 2026 14:18 (Santiago Time) | 71 km (44 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.9 |
2 days earlier Oct 11, 2026 20:47 (Santiago Time) | 54 km (34 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.0 |
9 hrs earlier Oct 13, 2026 12:38 (Santiago Time) | 64 km (40 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Oct 13, 2026 21:30 (Santiago Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 5.0 |
6 mins later Oct 13, 2026 21:36 (Santiago Time) | 11 km (7 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
12 mins later Oct 13, 2026 21:43 (Santiago Time) | 20 km (12 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
33 mins later Oct 13, 2026 22:04 (Santiago Time) | 12 km (7 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.5 |
37 mins later Oct 13, 2026 22:07 (Santiago Time) | 12 km (7 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.2 |
53 mins later Oct 13, 2026 22:23 (Santiago Time) | 9 km (5 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
7 hrs later Oct 14, 2026 04:16 (Santiago Time) | 17 km (10 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
9 hrs later Oct 14, 2026 06:28 (Santiago Time) | 77 km (48 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.7 |
13 hrs later Oct 14, 2026 10:08 (Santiago Time) | 17 km (10 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
14 hrs later Oct 14, 2026 11:42 (Santiago Time) | 80 km (50 mi) E from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
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 June 11th, 2026, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 158 km (98 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck on September 1st, 2020.
In total, 75 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 22 km (14 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 14/10/26 21:38 (). 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 us6000u26c
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261014_0000007
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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