4.5

M4.5 Earthquake 63 km WSW of Santiago, PeruSeptember 12, 2026

2026-09-12 08:46:38 UTC (1 hour ago) · approx. 3:46 AM UTC-5 local

Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM4.5(mb)
Time08:46 UTC3:46 AM UTC-5
Depth24.1 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates-14.486°, -76.216°
Felt by1DYFI response
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On September 12, 2026 at 08:46 UTC, a magnitude 4.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 63 km WSW of Santiago, Peru, at a depth of 24.1 km and coordinates -14.4855°, -76.2161°. This earthquake was detected by 42 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 312, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 85 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 767 m — 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

Map showing earthquake epicenter at -14.49°, -76.22°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 1 citizen response 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 M4.5 earthquake near 63 km WSW of Santiago, Peru

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

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
4.5 mb
Depth
24.1 km
shallow crustal
Location
-14.4855°N
-76.2161°E
Felt Reports
1
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
2.0
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000tgy2
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
312
Stations Used
42
Azimuthal Gap
154.0°
Min Station Distance
2.557°
RMS Residual
0.50 sec
Last Updated
2026-09-12 09:47:54 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 4.5 earthquake near Santiago, Peru?

The magnitude 4.5 earthquake that struck 63 km WSW of Santiago, Peru on September 12, 2026 at 08:46 UTC had a depth of 24.1 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at -14.4855°, -76.2161°, which is 63 km WSW of Santiago, Peru. View all earthquakes in Peru.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.5 earthquakes can continue for several days 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 4.5 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000tgy2). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, September 12, 2026). M4.5 Earthquake 63 km WSW of Santiago, PeruSeptember 12, 2026. Retrieved September 12, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000tgy2/