M6.5 earthquake in South Shetland Islands on March 20, 2026

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on March 20, 2026 at 00:22 UTC. According to USGS the epicenter was 1,244 km southeast of Punta Arenas, at a depth of 21 km. It was a shallow quake, and shallow quakes are usually felt most strongly at the surface.

6.5magnitude
21 kmdepth
00:22time UTC
greenUSGS alert
Live earthquake map →

Key facts

The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert, expecting little impact.

Nearest cities

  • Punta Arenas (Chile)1,244 km
  • Comodoro Rivadavia (Argentina)1,849 km
  • Port Montt (Chile)2,459 km
  • Osorno (Chile)2,558 km
  • Valdivia (Chile)2,640 km

Did you feel an earthquake?

Report it to seismologists. These reports help work out quickly where the shaking was strongest. It takes a minute.

Report to USGS (Did You Feel It?)Report to EMSC (LastQuake)

Aftershocks

Since then USGS has recorded 6 quakes of magnitude 4.5 or more within 150 km, the strongest M5.2.

  • M5.2 · Apr 9, 21:59 UTC30 km
  • M5.1 · Mar 20, 01:15 UTC13 km
  • M5.0 · Apr 9, 21:59 UTC31 km
  • M4.6 · Apr 10, 13:16 UTC52 km
  • M4.6 · Mar 20, 00:50 UTC8 km
  • M4.5 · Mar 20, 16:16 UTC30 km

Regional history

Since 1976 there have been 6 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or more within 300 km. The strongest was M6.9 (January 23, 2021).

  • M6.9 · January 23, 202184 km
  • M6.9 · July 11, 1983185 km
  • M6.6 · January 15, 201231 km
  • M6.2 · June 17, 199298 km
  • M6.0 · January 18, 198154 km

See also

Live earthquake mapAll earthquakes todayWeather in Punta ArenasEvent details at USGS

Source: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (public domain). Seismologists may still revise the data. Data from Jun 4, 18:37 UTC.