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Argentina · La Rioja

M5.3 Earthquake near Departamento Famatina, La Rioja (Argentina)

UTC time: 2026-09-23 09:21:15 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
121.5 km
Source
USGS

La Rioja · Departamento Famatina

Country overview

Map

M5.3 Earthquake near Departamento Famatina, La Rioja (Argentina) · 2026-09-23 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.3 Earthquake near Departamento Famatina, La Rioja (Argentina) · 2026-09-23 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.3 earthquake was recorded near Departamento Famatina, La Rioja (Argentina) on September 23, 2026 at 09:21 UTC. At around 122 km, the focal depth places this among intermediate-depth events. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by USGS. Argentina: 11 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M5.3.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 121.5 km (Intermediate) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 121.5 km
Intermediate
121.5 km
121.5 km — close to the regional average (142 km)
Regional average: 142 km
Why depth matters

Intermediate-depth quakes are felt across a wider area but usually cause less surface damage.

Depth classes per USGS

Tectonic context

Located on the South America Plate.
Near the boundary Nazca ↔ South America · about 470 km away

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Chilecito41.8 kmSW42'248
La Rioja71.0 kmSE178'872
San Miguel de Tucumán302.5 kmNE548'866

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Tipas
    Distance: 211 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 6'658 m ·Argentina
  • Incahuasi, Nevado de
    Distance: 213 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 6'638 m ·Chile-Argentina
  • Ojos del Salado, Nevados
    Distance: 218 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 6'879 m ·Last eruption: 750 ·Chile-Argentina
  • Blanco, Cerro
    Distance: 223 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 4'670 m ·Last eruption: -2300 ·Argentina
  • Solo, El
    Distance: 228 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 6'205 m ·Chile-Argentina
  • Falso Azufre
    Distance: 239 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 5'906 m ·Chile-Argentina

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Capitan V A Almonacid AirportArgentina · IRJ · SANL
    87.0 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-23

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Comparison of seismic sources

4 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.1 to M5.3.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
EMSCM5.3130.0 km16.2 km
GFZM5.3177.0 km11.1 km
USGSM5.3121.5 km0.0 km
RESIFM5.1199.5 km9.7 km

La Rioja

Context for this earthquake

23 Sep 2025 – 23 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 82 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#3
Earlier events M≥454
Earlier events M≥56
Compared since2025-01-03

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M5.52025-05-01 16:04:52 UTC41.7 kmDepartamento Famatina M5.42025-05-01 16:04:54 UTC39.4 kmLa Rioja Province, Argentina M5.32026-02-06 03:44:54 UTC143.7 kmGeneral Lamadrid M5.22026-02-06 03:44:52 UTC139.1 kmGeneral Lamadrid M5.22025-06-24 01:53:16 UTC107.7 kmSan Juan Province, Argentina

Historic earthquake map · Argentina

Open history map
Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · Argentina

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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