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5.2MAG

MODERATE EARTHQUAKE

28 km NE of Villa Presidente Frei, Chile

USGS

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 28 km NE of Villa Presidente Frei, Chile on 18 Sept 2026, 16:52 UTC. The hypocentre was 100 km below the surface — intermediate by seismological convention. No felt reports have been received so far. The figures have been revised 7 times since the first report. 2 other earthquakes above our reporting threshold have been recorded within 250 km in the past 30 days.

Depth
100 km

intermediate

Latitude
33.31°S

70.33°W longitude

Time
16:52 UTC

18 Sept 2026

Magnitude
M5.2

mb

EPICENTRE

View the official report

MAGNITUDE 5.2

Can damage poorly constructed buildings; well-built structures usually escape with little harm.

The scale is logarithmic: this released about 63 times the energy of a magnitude 4.0, roughly the energy of 951 tonnes of TNT.

100 KM DEEP

At this depth the energy spreads before it reaches the surface. Shaking is usually weaker than a shallow earthquake of the same size, but it can be felt across a wider area.

NEARBY IN THE PAST 30 DAYS

2 earthquakes above our reporting threshold within 250 km of this one, the largest a magnitude 4.8.

OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES

M5.2 earthquake — Villa Presidente Frei, Chile · Quakewire