M 5.3 Earthquake 51 km WSW of Arauco, Argentina

Source: USGS · Argentina

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake was recorded by USGS near 51 km WSW of Arauco. On the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program scale, M5.3 is classified "Moderate". Among the 1,834 earthquake reports Areazine has published, this M5.3 event ranks stronger than 80% of them (rank #270 by magnitude).

Read this earthquake report in 30 seconds

Magnitude
M 5.3
USGS class
Moderate
Location
51 km WSW of Arauco
Archive rank
#270 of 1,834
Source
USGS
Published
September 23, 2026
MODERATE

Stronger than 80% of the 1,834 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive, weaker than 269 others.

Record status: a snapshot from USGS, not a final record. Check USGS's own event page for aftershocks and any later revision to the magnitude shown here.

What Happened

A M 5.3 mww earthquake occurred 51 km WSW of Arauco, Argentina, on 2026-09-23 at 12:01:14 UTC. The event was recorded at a depth of 121.534 km and was reviewed by the USGS.

Location Details

The epicenter was located at latitude -28.7298, longitude -67.2912. This depth classifies the quake as deep (greater than 70 km).

Impact Assessment

No felt reports, tsunami advisory, or alert level were recorded for this event. The tsunami flag was set to 0.

What You Should Know

Earthquakes of this magnitude can be noticeable but are unlikely to cause significant damage. Aftershocks remain possible following any seismic event.

Source

Data from USGS: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000tx29

Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗

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Elsewhere in the country: similar length or severity timing 8

Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this USGS earthquake report: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.

What People Ask

Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.

What was the magnitude of this event? ▾
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 51 km WSW of Arauco, Argentina, at a depth of 121.5 km.
What does an M5.3 "Moderate" reading actually indicate? ▾
The USGS classifies M5.3 as "Moderate" on its Earthquake Hazards Program scale. Events in this range are felt over a wide area and can cause significant damage near the epicenter, particularly to older or unreinforced buildings.
Where does this event rank against Areazine's other recorded earthquakes? ▾
This is the #270 strongest of the 1,834 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive by magnitude, stronger than 80% of them and weaker than 269 others.
Was Arauco likely to feel this earthquake? ▾
This event was centered 51 km WSW of Arauco. Shaking intensity falls off sharply with distance from the epicenter and depends on depth and local geology, so check the USGS "Did You Feel It?" report for this event for real felt-shaking data rather than assuming from magnitude and distance alone.