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Ecuador · Imbabura

M3.5 Earthquake near Cotacachi, Imbabura (Ecuador)

UTC time: 2026-09-21 14:30:38 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M3.5 earthquake was recorded near Cotacachi, Imbabura (Ecuador) on September 21, 2026 at 14:30 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 5 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Shaking of this size is frequently noticed but usually harmless.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks. Ecuador: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 2 earthquakes, the strongest at M3.7.

Details

ID
67b9877414702a0df2cb475732d86a755429dd63
Magnitude
M3.5
Depth
5.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-21 14:30:38 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Ecuador
State
Imbabura
City
Cotacachi
County
Cotacachi
Source
emsc
Coordinates
0.32000, -78.33000
Temperature
15.9°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 5 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 5 km
Shallow
5 km
5 km — shallower than the regional average (37.9 km)
Regional average: 37.9 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Volcanoes nearby

  • Cuicocha
    Distance: 4 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 3'246 m ·Last eruption: 650 ·Ecuador
  • Chachimbiro
    Distance: 17 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 4'106 m ·Last eruption: -3740 ·Ecuador
  • Imbabura
    Distance: 18 km ·Compound ·Elevation: 4'609 m ·Last eruption: -5550 ·Ecuador
  • Mojanda
    Distance: 22 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 4'263 m ·Ecuador
  • Pululahua
    Distance: 35 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 3'360 m ·Last eruption: 290 ·Ecuador
  • Cayambe
    Distance: 50 km ·Compound ·Elevation: 5'790 m ·Last eruption: 1786 ·Ecuador

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Mariscal Sucre International AirportEcuador · UIO · SEQM
    49.6 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-21

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

Ecuador

Context for this earthquake

21 Sep 2025 – 21 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 151 Catalogue entries

Of 150 other entries for this area and period, 96 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · Ecuador

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

Country statistics · Ecuador

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

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