M2.9 Earthquake near Huara, Chile — 25 July 2025
A minor earthquake of magnitude 2.9 was recorded near Huara, Chile on , with an epicentre 16 km west-southwest of Huara, at a focal depth of 57.1 km. It ranked as the 33rd strongest of 32 earthquakes recorded in Chile in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2025-07-25 03:05:15
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 2.9 (minor)
Focal depth: 57.1 km (shallow)
Epicentre: -20.0641, -69.9139
Location: 16 km WSW of Huara, Chile
Country: Chile
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Minor earthquakes in this range are felt by people close to the epicentre as a brief jolt or rattle, but they very rarely cause any damage.
A magnitude 2.9 earthquake radiates roughly 338 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 131, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
What the magnitude scale actually measures →
When it happened locally
That is about 22:25 local solar time at the epicentre, late at night.
This event was shallower than 58% of the 751 earthquakes recorded in Chile in our catalogue and stronger than 0% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at -20.0641, -69.9139 — 16 km west-southwest of Huara. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 3.6 earthquake 40 km southwest of here on 28 May 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are Barrio Industrial (29 km west), Alto Hospicio (30 km southwest), Cavancha (40 km southwest) and Camiña (75 km east-northeast).
Why the 57 km depth matters
At 57 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size may be noticed locally, especially close to the epicentre. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M2.9 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
2 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.5.
266 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.1 event near María Elena on 02 January 2025. This M2.9 event released about 63,096 times less energy than that event.
43 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 4 of them in the past 30 days.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the July 2025 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Chile during July 2025. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M3.6 earthquake near Cavancha, Chile — (40 km SW)
- M3.2 earthquake near La Tirana, Chile — (40 km SSW)
- M3.4 earthquake near Huara, Chile — (51 km NNW)
- M4.7 earthquake near La Tirana, Chile — (54 km SSW)
- M2.7 earthquake near Puerto, Chile — (61 km WSW)
- M3.5 earthquake near La Tirana, Chile — (62 km S)
- M4.1 earthquake near Camiña, Chile — (67 km NE)
- M4.6 earthquake near Huara, Chile — (75 km E)
- M4.6 earthquake near La Tirana, Chile — (76 km E)
- M4.4 earthquake near Camiña, Chile — (78 km ENE)
Other recent earthquakes in Chile
- M5.1 earthquake near Colchane, Chile —
- M4.5 earthquake near Calama, Chile —
- M4.7 earthquake near Ollagüe, Chile —
- M4.7 earthquake near Ollagüe, Chile —
- M4.4 earthquake near Camiña, Chile —
- M4.2 earthquake near Antofagasta, Chile —
- M4.2 earthquake near Ollagüe, Chile —
- M4.3 earthquake near Valparaíso, Chile —
- M4.1 earthquake near San Pedro de Atacama, Chile —
- M4.4 earthquake near Chaitén, Chile —
Other magnitude 2 earthquakes worldwide
- M3.1 earthquake near Petersville, United States —
- M3.0 earthquake near Perryville, United States —
- M3.0 earthquake near San Antonio, Puerto Rico —
- M2.8 earthquake near Las Marías, Puerto Rico —
- M3.0 earthquake near Chignik, United States —
- M2.9 earthquake near Denali National Park, United States —
- M3.1 earthquake near Nikiski, United States —
- M2.8 earthquake near Mina, United States —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near Huara?
It measured magnitude 2.9 — a minor earthquake. A magnitude 2.9 earthquake radiates roughly 338 kg of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near Huara?
The focus was 57 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.
Was the Huara earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 2.9 and a focal depth of 57 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.
When did the earthquake near Huara happen?
25 July 2025 at 03:05 UTC.
Was there a tsunami?
No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.
Have there been aftershocks?
2 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.5.
How often do earthquakes happen near Huara?
266 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.1 event near María Elena on 02 January 2025. This M2.9 event released about 63,096 times less energy than that event.