Strong magnitude 5.3 earthquake at 137 km depth23 Sep 09:25 UTC: First to report: VolcanoDiscovery after 4 minutes.23 Sep 09:26: Now using data updates from EMSC... [show all] ...23 Sep 09:27: Magnitude recalculated from 5.3 to 5.4. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 130.00 to 138.50 km (from 81 to 86 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 2.8 km (1.7 mi) towards NW.23 Sep 09:28: Epicenter location corrected by 7.5 km (4.6 mi) towards NNE.23 Sep 09:32: Magnitude recalculated from 5.4 to 5.3.23 Sep 09:35: Epicenter location corrected by 4 km (2.5 mi) towards ESE.Update Wed, 23 Sep 2026, 09:27Moderate yet deep 5.3 quake hits near La Rioja, Departamento de Capital, La Rioja Province, ArgentinaJust 6 minutes ago, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck near La Rioja, Departamento de Capital, La Rioja Province, Argentina. The tremor was recorded early morning on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2026, at 6:21 am local time, at an intermediate depth of 130. km below the surface.The event was filed by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the first seismological agency to report it.A second report was later issued by the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake, which listed it as a magnitude 5.3 earthquake as well.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.Weak shaking might have been felt in Chilecito (pop. 42,200) located 42 km from the epicenter, Villa Bustos (pop. 2,200) 51 km away, Arauco (pop. 13,700) 53 km away, Aimogasta (pop. 16,600) 54 km away, La Rioja (pop. 178,900) 71 km away, Tinogasta (pop. 14,500) 95 km away, and Vinchina (pop. 2,800) 96 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.If you were or still are in this area during the quake help others with your feedback and report it here.Download the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app and get one of the fastest seismic alerts online: Android | iOSI didn't feel itI felt this quakeEarthquake detailsDate & timeSep 23, 2026 09:21:16 UTC - Local time at epicenterWednesday, Sep 23, 2026, at 06:21 am (GMT -3)StatusconfirmedMagnitude5.30Depth137 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude28.7991°S / 67.188°WDepartamento de San Blas de los Sauces, La Rioja Province, ArgentinaSeismic antipode28.7991°N / 112.812°EChinaShaking intensityIII Weak shaking near epicenterFelt21 reportsPrimary data sourceEMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)Nearest volcanoIncapillo (187 km / 116 mi)Weather at epicenter at time of quakeScattered Clouds 10.2°C (50 F), humidity: 44%, wind: 4 m/s (8 kts) from NNEEstimated seismic energy released5.6 x 1012 joules (1.56 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 1344 tons of TNT) | equivalent to ONE quake of magnitude 5.3 | about seismic energy16 minutes ago reported feltSep 23, 2026 09:21 GMT / Sep 23, 2026 06:21 am (GMT -3)Lat / Lng: -28.7991 / -67.188: LA Rioja, ArgentinaSource: EMSCOther sources: RaspberryShake: 5.3 / 138 km, INPRES: 5.6 / 132 km, 1 more...Detail info | Read user reports | You felt it? - Report it!';storedMarkers.push(['quake-23385425',-28.79910,-67.18800,'16 minutes ago: Mag. 5.3, LA Rioja, Argentina',html,'quakes-7-24.png',30,30,15,15,126]); function mkRep(id,notFelt){var nFelt=notFelt||false;var src="https://www.volcanoesandearthquakes.com/app/earthquake-report.php?quakeId="+id;if(nFelt==true){src+="¬Felt=true";}window.open(src,"","status=0,toolbar=0,location=0,directories=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,height=400,width=350");} function locationHashChanged(e){-1!=e.oldURL.indexOf("#popupMap")&&closePopup()} window.onhashchange = locationHashChanged; function comment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=(t.dataset.id,document.getElementById("commentForm"));"none"==a.style.display?(t.appendChild(a),a.style.display="block"):a.style.display="none"}function sendComment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=t.parentNode.dataset.id,n=document.getElementById("commentContent"),p=n.value.trim();if(p){var o="id="+a+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId;o+="&comment="+decodeURIComponent(p),mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",o,function(e){e.responseText;alert("Thank you for submitting your comment!"),t.style.display="none",n.value=""})}}function flagReport(e){var t=e.parentNode.dataset.id;if(confirm("Report this as inappropriate?")){var a="id="+t+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&flagAsInappropriate=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",a,function(t){var a=t.responseText;alert(a),e.style.display="none"})}}function likeReport(e){var t="id="+e.parentNode.dataset.id+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&like=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",t,function(t){t.responseText;e.style.opacity=.5})}]]>[smaller] [bigger]Most recent quakes Top 20 past 24 hrs Quakes in ArgentinaNearby placesThe closest larger town where the quake might have been felt is La Rioja, a city with more than 180,000 inhabitants in Argentina, in 76 km (47 mi) distance southeast of the epicenter. People likely experienced weak shaking there. Several smaller towns and villages are located closer to the epicenter and might have experienced stronger shaking.The following table shows some of the places that might have been affected (or not) by the shaking.DistancePlaceMax. shaking intensity(*)RegionCountry46 km (28 mi)NE of epicenterArauco(pop: 13,700)III: WeakLa Rioja ProvinceArgentina46 km (28 mi)NE of epicenterAimogasta(pop: 16,600)III: WeakDepartamento de Arauco, La Rioja ProvinceArgentina50 km (31 mi)SW of epicenterChilecito(pop: 42,200)III: WeakLa Rioja ProvinceArgentina57 km (35 mi)S of epicenterVilla Bustos(pop: 2,170)III: WeakDepartamento de Sanagasta, La Rioja ProvinceArgentina76 km (47 mi)SE of epicenterLa Rioja(pop: 178,900)III: WeakDepartamento de Capital, La Rioja ProvinceArgentina89 km (56 mi)NW of epicenterTinogasta(pop: 14,500)III: WeakCatamarca ProvinceArgentina99 km (62 mi)W of epicenterVinchina(pop: 2,830)III: WeakLa Rioja ProvinceArgentina105 km (65 mi)NE of epicenterPoman(pop: 3,390)III: WeakDepartamento de Poman, Catamarca ProvinceArgentina118 km (73 mi)E of epicenterHuillapima(pop: 7,780)III: WeakDepartamento de Capayan, Catamarca ProvinceArgentina121 km (75 mi)N of epicenterLondres(pop: 2,630)III: WeakDepartamento de Belen, Catamarca ProvinceArgentina132 km (82 mi)N of epicenterFiambala(pop: 8,060)III: WeakDepartamento de Tinogasta, Catamarca ProvinceArgentina142 km (88 mi)E of epicenterCatamarca(pop: 159,100)III: WeakDepartamento de Capital, Catamarca ProvinceArgentina160 km (99 mi)NE of epicenterAndalgala(pop: 14,100)III: WeakDepartamento de Andalgala, Catamarca ProvinceArgentina164 km (102 mi)E of epicenterAncasti(pop: 3,080)III: WeakCatamarca ProvinceArgentina169 km (105 mi)NE of epicenterSan Antonio(pop: 4,290)III: WeakDepartamento de Paclin, Catamarca ProvinceArgentina181 km (113 mi)E of epicenterIcano(pop: 6,860)III: WeakDepartamento de La Paz, Catamarca ProvinceArgentina185 km (115 mi)NE of epicenterLos Altos(pop: 6,420)III: WeakDepartamento de Santa Rosa, Catamarca ProvinceArgentina193 km (120 mi)SE of epicenterChamical(pop: 13,400)III: WeakLa Rioja ProvinceArgentina194 km (121 mi)NE of epicenterLa Cocha(pop: 7,070)III: WeakTucuman ProvinceArgentina206 km (128 mi)S of epicenterVilla San Agustin(pop: 6,860)III: WeakValle Fertil, San Juan ProvinceArgentina214 km (133 mi)E of epicenterRecreo(pop: 14,200)III: WeakDepartamento de La Paz, Catamarca ProvinceArgentina217 km (135 mi)NE of epicenterAguilares(pop: 32,500)III: WeakDepartamento de Rio Chico, Tucuman ProvinceArgentina220 km (137 mi)SW of epicenterSan Jose de Jachal(pop: 21,000)III: WeakDepartamento de Jachal, San Juan ProvinceArgentina243 km (151 mi)SE of epicenterCastro Barros(pop: 4,320)III: WeakDepartamento de General Belgrano, La Rioja ProvinceArgentina246 km (153 mi)NE of epicenterMonteros(pop: 23,800)III: WeakTucuman ProvinceArgentina248 km (154 mi)NE of epicenterSimoca(pop: 7,940)III: WeakTucuman ProvinceArgentina262 km (163 mi)NE of epicenterFamailla(pop: 31,000)III: WeakDepartamento de Famailla, Tucuman ProvinceArgentina270 km (168 mi)NE of epicenterBella Vista(pop: 15,100)II: Very weakDepartamento de Leales, Tucuman ProvinceArgentina271 km (168 mi)NE of epicenterTermas de Rio Hondo(pop: 27,800)II: Very weakDepartamento de Rio Hondo, Santiago del Estero ProvinceArgentina289 km (180 mi)NE of epicenterYerba Buena(pop: 50,800)II: Very weakTucuman ProvinceArgentina294 km (183 mi)NE of epicenterSan Miguel de Tucuman(pop: 548,900)II: Very weakDepartamento de Capital, Tucuman ProvinceArgentina298 km (185 mi)NE of epicenterTafi Viejo(pop: 48,500)II: Very weakTafi Viejo, Tucuman ProvinceArgentina299 km (186 mi)NE of epicenterAlderetes(pop: 38,500)II: Very weakDepartamento de Cruz Alta, Tucuman ProvinceArgentina307 km (191 mi)E of epicenterSantiago del Estero(pop: 252,200)II: Very weakDepartamento de Capital, Santiago del Estero ProvinceArgentina314 km (195 mi)SE of epicenterCruz del Eje(pop: 28,200)II: Very weakCordoba ProvinceArgentina320 km (199 mi)SW of epicenterAlbardon(pop: 20,400)II: Very weakDepartamento de Albardon, San Juan ProvinceArgentina328 km (204 mi)SE of epicenterDean Funes(pop: 20,200)II: Very weakDepartamento de Ischilin, Cordoba ProvinceArgentina390 km (242 mi)SE of epicenterVilla Carlos Paz(pop: 69,500)II: Very weakDepartamento de Punilla, Cordoba ProvinceArgentina394 km (245 mi)SE of epicenterLa Calera(pop: 24,800)II: Very weakDepartamento de Colon, Cordoba ProvinceArgentina409 km (254 mi)SE of epicenterCordoba(pop: 2,106,700)II: Very weakDepartamento de Capital, Cordoba ProvinceArgentinaNotes:(*) Shaking intensity according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) and estimated using seismic models.User-reports for this quake (21)The first report about ground shaking reached us after only 4 minutes, before other agencies reported it. So far, we have received 21 reports for this quake from Argentina and Chile. The quake was reported to have been felt in up to approx. 200–400 km (124–249 mi) distance, with isolated cases to have felt the quake even 409 km (254 mi) away.The majority of reports came from La Rioja (11 reports), a city with more than 180,000 inhabitants in 76 km (47 mi) distance southeast of the epicenter, Argentina, Catamarca (2 reports), a city with more than 160,000 inhabitants in 142 km (88 mi) distance east of the epicenter, and Santiago del Estero (1 report) (307 km or 191 mi to the east). See the list of places where most people reported this quake further below.This section is being updated as new data comes in.User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.Contribute:Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it.Flag as inappropriate.Mark as helpful or interesting.Send your own user report!TranslateLa Rioja capital (76.4 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Estaba en la cama y primero sentí un movimiento de arriba hacia abajo y después movimientos laterales La Rioja (75.5 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s : Sacudida fuerte de un par de segundos La Rioja Capital (75.6 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : Ligera sacudida Argentina la Rioja Capital (78 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Estaba acostada La Rioja (76.7 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 15-20 sLa rioja (75.1 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutesLa rioja (75.2 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III)Tinogasta, Catamarca (89.7 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 sSan Isidro- Valle Viejo Catamarca (148.4 km ENE of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very shortChilecito (50.7 km SW of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 2-5 sLa Rioja (46.4 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / 15-20 sLa Rioja, La Rioja (75.4 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 sla rioja (76.8 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : estaba en cama 409.9 km SE of epicenter [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app)346.2 km WNW of epicenter [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app)Santiago del estero argentina (308.4 km ENE of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 5-10 s : Se sacudía la mesa y las sillas Chilecito (48.1 km SSW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : Sentí el movimiento y ruido de la casa. Pero creo que lo sentí como en 2 momentos, primero fue a la vez que la notificación del celular y luego el sacudon. Aimogasta La Rioja Argentina (46.1 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Estaba durmiendo Rioja capital (75.7 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 minutes : Desperté de la cama, el lateral de la cama golpeaba la pared las alarmas de los autos sonaban La Rioja, La Rioja (75.7 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very shortSan Fernando Del Valle de Catamarca (143.7 km ENE of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 sShow moreList of cities/places with most reportsPlaceDistance from epicenterAverage reported Shaking IntensityNr. of reportsLa Rioja, La Rioja Province, Argentina(Pop.: 178,872)76 km (47 mi)SE of epicenterIII: Weak shaking11Catamarca, Catamarca Province, Argentina(Pop.: 159,139)142 km (88 mi)E of epicenterII: Very weak shaking2Santiago del Estero, Santiago del Estero Province, Argentina(Pop.: 252,192)307 km (191 mi)E of epicenterII: Very weak shaking1Copiapo, Region de Atacama, Chile(Pop.: 129,280)347 km (216 mi)NW of epicenterIII: Weak shaking1Cordoba, Cordoba Province, Argentina(Pop.: 2,106,734)409 km (254 mi)SE of epicenterIII: Weak shaking1Chilecito, La Rioja Province, Argentina(Pop.: 42,248)50 km (31 mi)SW of epicenterIV: Light shaking1Tinogasta, Catamarca Province, Argentina(Pop.: 14,509)89 km (56 mi)NW of epicenterIV: Light shaking1Note: Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (21 in total) could be used for statistics.What is Intensity and the Mercalli Intensity Scale?The amount of shaking that occurs on the surface due to an earthquake is called the intensity. It is commonly measured on the so-called Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) ranging from 1 (not felt) to 10 (extreme shaking), and given in Roman numerals as I,II,...IX, X, and often displayed with color codes ranging from light blue to dark red.Earthquake intensity depends mainly on the magnitude and depth of the quake as well as the distance from the epicenter: The further away, the less shaking intensity occurs.Read more about the MMI scale!Number of reports by intensityShaking intensityNumber of reportsMin-Max distance from epicenter (*)Average distance (*)II: Very weak shaking3144–308 km (89–191 mi)200 km (124 mi)III: Weak shaking875–409 km (47–254 mi)151 km (94 mi)IV: Light shaking846–90 km (29–56 mi)71 km (44 mi)V: Moderate shaking246–48 km (29–30 mi)47 km (29 mi)Notes(*) Reports are filtered to exclude those that are likely highly inaccurate or esaggerated.Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (21 in total) could be used for geographic statistics.Get the Android appI didn't feel itI felt this quakeIf you were near the epicenter and felt it, please share your experience and submit a short "I felt it" report! Other users would love to hear about it!If you did NOT feel the quake although you were in the area, please report it as well! Your contribution is valuable to earthquake science and seismic hazard analysis.Compare Quake DataData for the same earthquake as reported by different agenciesThe more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.MagDepthTime GMT2026-09-23EpicenterAgency5.3137 km85 mi09:21:16.28LA RIOJA, ARGENTINAEMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)5.3138 km86 mi09:21:14La Rioja Province, Argentina8.3 km (5.1 mi) epicenter difference with EMSCRaspberryShake (RaspberryShake)5.6132 km82 mi09:21:15LA RIOJA7.3 km (4.6 mi) epicenter difference with EMSCINPRES5.3138 km86 mi09:21:14.14La Rioja Province, Argentina8.3 km (5.1 mi) epicenter difference with EMSCGFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences)5.13182 km113 mi09:21:21.771near Tucumán7.7 km (4.8 mi) epicenter difference with EMSCRENASS (Réseau National de Surveillance Sismique (RéNaSS))