An intermediate magnitude 4.8 earthquake was reported in the morning near Chinandega, Departamento de Chinandega, Nicaragua.According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake hit on Sunday, January 4th, 2026, at 8:20 am local time at an intermediate depth of 99.32 km. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.A second report was later issued by The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), which listed it as a magnitude 4.8 earthquake as well. Other agencies reporting the same quake include the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) at magnitude 4.8, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) at magnitude 4.8, and the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake at magnitude 4.8.Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Jiquilillo (pop. 4,100) located 39 km from the epicenter, El Viejo (pop. 53,500) 67 km away, Corinto (pop. 19,200) 68 km away, Chinandega (pop. 126,400) 71 km away, Puerto Morazan (pop. 7,700) 71 km away, La Union (pop. 26,800) 81 km away, Chichigalpa (pop. 33,100) 82 km away, San Lorenzo (pop. 22,300) 97 km away, and Leon (pop. 144,500) 100 km away.VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.Earthquake data: Date & time: Jan 4, 2026 08:20 am (GMT -6) local time (4 Jan 2026 14:20 GMT)Magnitude: 4.8Depth: 99.32 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude: 12.61°N / 87.78°W (Departamento de Chinandega, Nicaragua)Primary data source: USGS