Reviewed by USGSPeru2d ago
M4.4 earthquake 32 km SSW of Huacho, Peru
Friday, September 25, 2026, 04:26:30 UTC · 11.381°S, 77.721°W
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 32 km SSW of Huacho, Peru on Friday, September 25, 2026, 04:26:30 UTC, at a depth of 45.9 km (shallow). USGS received 7 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IV (light).
- Magnitude
- 4.4
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 46 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 7
- Max intensity IV
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
60 tons of TNT
That is about 1/251 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 8 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
162 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: shallow
46 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis, Lima Provincias, Peru | III · Weak | 4 | 119 km |
| Lima, Lima Provincias, Peru | II · Weak | 2 | 115 km |
| Huacho, Lima Provincias, Peru | IV · Light | 1 | 55 km |
USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 50 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 260 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.221 km SE of Huacho, PeruMay 24, 1940 · 36 km NE of this epicenter
- 8.167 km W of Paramonga, PeruOctober 17, 1966 · 109 km NW of this epicenter
- 8.041 km SW of San Vicente de Cañete, PeruAugust 15, 2007 · 254 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.934 km SW of Chimbote, PeruMay 31, 1970 · 265 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.677 km WSW of Callao, PeruOctober 3, 1974 · 99 km S of this epicenter
- 7.5123 km WSW of Puerto Santa, PeruFebruary 21, 1996 · 285 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.287 km SW of Callao, PeruNovember 9, 1974 · 125 km S of this epicenter
- 7.0179 km WSW of Huarmey, PeruSeptember 3, 1967 · 230 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 49 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 75,442 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1970M7.9
Northern, Pisco, Chiclayo
31 May 1970 · 270 km away · intensity X
66,794 deaths$530 million damagetsunami
- 1746M8.0
Lima, Callao
29 Oct 1746 · 89 km away · intensity XI
5,941 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1725M7.7
Trujillo, Ancash, Lima
7 Jan 1725 · 299 km away · intensity IX
1,500 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 2007M8.0
Ica, Pisco, Lima
15 Aug 2007 · 254 km away · intensity VIII
596 deaths$600 million damagetsunami
- 1940M8.2
Peru
24 May 1940 · 126 km away · intensity X
179 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1969M6.6
Huaytapallana, Lampa, Chilifruta
1 Oct 1969 · 295 km away · intensity XI
130 deaths$5 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.