QuakeScout
Magnitude3.7

Reported by EMSC5d ago

M3.7 earthquake in Near Coast of Central Peru

Monday, September 21, 2026, 06:39:49 UTC · 12.570°S, 76.640°W

A magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck in Near Coast of Central Peru on Monday, September 21, 2026, 06:39:49 UTC, at a depth of 89.0 km (intermediate).

Magnitude
3.7
Minor · m
Depth
89 km
Intermediate
Reported by
EMSC
Agency LIM
Nearest tracker
73 km
from Lima

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

5 tons of TNT

That is about 1/2,814 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 89 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

181 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.

Depth: intermediate

89 km

Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.

After the main event

Aftershocks within 50 km

USGS and EMSC list 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km since this event; the largest was M3.3 on September 22, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M3M41h6h1d3dMainshock M3.7
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 3.3Near Coast of Central Peru4d ago · 34 km NW of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 353 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 8.221 km SE of Huacho, PeruMay 24, 1940 · 174 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 8.167 km W of Paramonga, PeruOctober 17, 1966 · 286 km NW of this epicenter
  3. 8.041 km SW of San Vicente de Cañete, PeruAugust 15, 2007 · 91 km S of this epicenter
  4. 7.760 km SW of Changuillo, PeruNovember 12, 1996 · 289 km S of this epicenter
  5. 7.623 km E of Santa Rosa, PeruNovember 1, 1947 · 279 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 7.677 km WSW of Callao, PeruOctober 3, 1974 · 130 km W of this epicenter
  7. 7.287 km SW of Callao, PeruNovember 9, 1974 · 125 km W of this epicenter
  8. 6.928 km W of Paramonga, PeruSeptember 24, 1963 · 266 km NW of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 55 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 7,457 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1746M8.0

    Lima, Callao

    29 Oct 1746 · 88 km away · intensity XI

    5,941 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami

  2. 2007M8.0

    Ica, Pisco, Lima

    15 Aug 2007 · 91 km away · intensity VIII

    596 deaths$600 million damagetsunami

  3. 1947M7.6

    Satipo,Andamarca,Acobamba,La Merced,Victoc

    1 Nov 1947 · 279 km away · intensity X

    233 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  4. 1940M8.2

    Peru

    24 May 1940 · 233 km away · intensity X

    179 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami

  5. 1969M6.6

    Huaytapallana, Lampa, Chilifruta

    1 Oct 1969 · 191 km away · intensity XI

    130 deaths$5 million damage

  6. 1966M8.1

    Lima,Huacho,Huaura, Chancay,Supe,San Nicolas

    17 Oct 1966 · 297 km away · intensity IX

    110 deaths$35 million damagetsunami

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers

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