Reviewed by USGSPeru7d ago
M4.9 earthquake 117 km NW of Barranca, Peru
Saturday, September 19, 2026, 07:12:27 UTC · 4.013°S, 77.349°W
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 117 km NW of Barranca, Peru on Saturday, September 19, 2026, 07:12:27 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on September 10, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 4.9
- Light · mww
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- 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
338 tons of TNT
That is about 1/45 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 1 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
283 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North Andes and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
10 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
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗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 292 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.543 km NNW of Barranca, PeruNovember 28, 2021 · 78 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.516 km W of Barranca, PeruSeptember 28, 1906 · 106 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.539 km NW of Yurimaguas, PeruSeptember 26, 2005 · 213 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.5115 km ESE of Palora, EcuadorFebruary 22, 2019 · 206 km N of this epicenter
- 7.498 km ESE of Sucúa, EcuadorJuly 27, 1971 · 130 km N of this epicenter
- 7.323 km N of Bellavista, PeruMay 14, 1928 · 216 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.251 km N of Barranca, PeruOctober 28, 1997 · 84 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.111 km NE of Rioja, PeruApril 5, 1991 · 221 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 20 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 318 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1990M6.5
Moyabamba-Riojo
30 May 1990 · 223 km away · intensity VI
200 deaths$1 million damage
- 1991M6.7
Rioja, Moyobamba, Nueva Cajamarca
5 Apr 1991 · 221 km away · intensity VII
53 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1928M7.3
Chacahpoyas,Huancabamba,Cajamarca,Pinpincos
14 May 1928 · 215 km away · intensity X
29 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1968M6.8
San Martin,Moyobamba,Yantalo,Rioja,Lamas
19 Jun 1968 · 180 km away
15 deathsUnder $1 million damage
- 1983M6.5
Chimbote
12 Apr 1983 · 124 km away
10 deathsUnder $1 million damage
- 2005M7.5
Lamas, Chachapoyas, Moyobamba, Tarapota
26 Sep 2005 · 213 km away
5 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.