5.6

M5.6 Earthquake 13 km ENE of San Fernando, PeruJuly 31, 2026

2026-07-31 00:58:44 UTC (1 hour ago) · approx. 7:58 PM UTC-5 local

Felt by 7 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.6(mww)
Time00:58 UTC7:58 PM UTC-5
Depth154.4 kmintermediate depth
Coordinates-8.335°, -74.435°
Felt by7DYFI responses· max MMI 3.6
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alertno significant casualties or damage expected

On July 31, 2026 at 00:58 UTC, a magnitude 5.6 intermediate depth earthquake struck 13 km ENE of San Fernando, Peru, at a depth of 154.4 km and coordinates -8.3349°, -74.4353°. The earthquake was reported felt by 7 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 3.6 (light). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 89 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 484, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Pucallpa (population 326,040).

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 4 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 4.4 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

The epicenter is located in Peru, a region characterized by the northern Peru-Chile subduction zone, complicated by the subduction of the Nazca Ridge. The nearest mapped fault system is the Peru-Chile Trench. View all earthquakes in Peru.

Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences

Nearest Populated Places

Pucallpapop. 326,040
MMI 3.5 (light)
Contamanapop. 18,921
MMI 3.0 (weak)
Mancio Limapop. 19,311
MMI 2.9 (weak)
Porto Valterpop. 12,241
MMI 2.8 (weak)
Tierra Blancapop. 1,503
MMI 2.8 (weak)
Marechal Taumaturgopop. 19,299
MMI 2.7 (weak)
Map showing earthquake epicenter at -8.33°, -74.44°

ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity

Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M5.6 earthquake near 13 km ENE of San Fernando, Peru

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 7 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.6 earthquake near 13 km ENE of San Fernando, Peru

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Population exposure (USGS PAGER)

Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.

Shaking intensity (MMI)DescriptionPopulation exposed
MMI 3weak542,488
MMI 4light336,167

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.6 mww
Depth
154.4 km
intermediate depth
Location
-8.3349°N
-74.4353°E
Felt Reports
7
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
3.6
light
Community Intensity
2.7
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000th4k
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
484
Stations Used
89
Azimuthal Gap
97.0°
Min Station Distance
1.816°
RMS Residual
1.41 sec
Last Updated
2026-07-31 02:29:08 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.6 earthquake near San Fernando, Peru?

The magnitude 5.6 earthquake that struck 13 km ENE of San Fernando, Peru on July 31, 2026 at 00:58 UTC had a depth of 154.4 km. It was felt by 7 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 3.6 (light). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at -8.3349°, -74.4353°, which is 13 km ENE of San Fernando, Peru. The nearest populated place is Pucallpa (population 326,040). View all earthquakes in Peru.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.6 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Has Peru had earthquakes this big before?

The largest recorded earthquake in Peru was the M8.0 Arequipa earthquake of June 23, 2001. Today's magnitude 5.6 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000th4k). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, July 31, 2026). M5.6 Earthquake 13 km ENE of San Fernando, PeruJuly 31, 2026. Retrieved July 31, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000th4k/