M5.3 earthquake strikes near Cafayate, Argentina; felt across Tucumán and Salta provinces
The strongest quake recorded in Argentina today hit early Sunday morning, rattling residents across two provinces — no injuries or damage reported.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 64 kilometres west of Cafayate in Argentina's Salta Province early Sunday morning, shaking residents awake across a wide stretch of the country's northwest. The quake hit at approximately 05:47 local time, according to VolcanoDiscovery.
USGS data places the epicentre at roughly 25.99°S, 66.61°W. No tsunami warning was issued and no significant damage or casualties have been reported.
Argentina's national seismic agency, the Instituto Nacional de Prevención Sísmica (INPRES), reported the quake was felt strongly in San Miguel de Tucumán and with lesser intensity in the Salta cities of Salta, Metán, Cachi, and Cafayate, as well as more faintly in Santiago del Estero, according to La Nacion.
Residents told the Tucumán outlet La Gaceta that the shaking was noticeable in multi-storey buildings and elevated areas of the province, according to La Nacion. Provincial authorities urged the public to follow established safety protocols.
Minutes before the main event, a smaller M4.3 tremor struck near the Salta locality of Angastaco in Catamarca Province at a depth of 205 kilometres, according to La Nacion. INPRES put the main quake's epicentre near the locality of Trancas — about 60 km east of Cafayate — and recorded its depth at 197 kilometres, a figure that differs from the 10 km shallow depth reported by USGS.
Argentina sits in one of South America's most seismically active corridors, driven by the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate along the Andes. VolcanoDiscovery's 26-year archive shows the country averages roughly 4,200 earthquakes per year, with about 17 events of magnitude 5 or greater annually. The northwest and centre-west carry the highest seismic hazard; INPRES notes that the Buenos Aires region and eastern Argentina present very low risk by comparison.
Geologists consulted by La Nacion cautioned against reading a pattern into recent global seismic activity, noting that improved instrumentation — not a genuine increase in earthquakes — explains why more events are now detected. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates roughly 20,000 earthquakes occur worldwide each year, averaging 55 per month, with only about 15 annually exceeding magnitude 7.
Why it matters — A felt M5.3 quake with no reported damage is a reminder of the persistent seismic hazard across Argentina's northwest, where Andean subduction regularly produces significant tremors.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- Depth of 10 km (shallow) for the main quake
- Epicentre located near the locality of Trancas, described as 60 km east of Cafayate
- strongest recorded in Argentina in the past week (changed to today per VolcanoDiscovery)
- averaging 55 per day (corrected to per month per La Nacion source)
Sources differ on Depth of the main earthquake: 10 km (shallow) (quakepulse.com / volcanodiscovery.com (citing USGS)) vs 197 km (lanacion.com.ar (citing INPRES))
Sources differ on Epicentre direction from Cafayate: 64 km west of Cafayate (quakepulse.com / volcanodiscovery.com) vs Near Trancas, ~60 km east of Cafayate (lanacion.com.ar (citing INPRES))
Reported by usgs.gov, quakepulse.com, volcanodiscovery.com, databoks.katadata.co.id, lanacion.com.ar
