Reviewed by USGSPeru64y ago
M7.7 earthquake 50 km N of Sandia, Peru
Thursday, August 15, 1963, 17:25:09 UTC · 13.866°S, 69.414°W
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck 50 km N of Sandia, Peru on Thursday, August 15, 1963, 17:25:09 UTC, at a depth of 550.0 km (deep). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.7
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 550 km
- Deep
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
4.8 megatons of TNT
That is about 320 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 10,116 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
62 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: deep
550 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 7 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.581 km SSE of Puerto Rosario de Laberinto, PeruJuly 26, 1958 · 49 km N of this epicenter
- 6.741 km NE of Corani, PeruApril 9, 1928 · 105 km W of this epicenter
- 6.7central PeruApril 26, 1905 · 258 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.557 km NNE of Salvación, PeruOctober 7, 1920 · 245 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.541 km S of Mazuko, PeruApril 27, 1928 · 115 km W of this epicenter
- 6.45 km WNW of Mapiri, BoliviaFebruary 24, 1947 · 199 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.336 km W of Mapiri, BoliviaAugust 23, 1956 · 178 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 374 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1707M5.8
Cuzco
17 Sep 1707 · 290 km away · intensity X
160 deaths
- 1950M6.0
Cusco
21 May 1950 · 282 km away · intensity VII
129 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1943M5.0
Yanacoa, Pampamarca
31 Jan 1943 · 228 km away
75 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1928M6.7
Peru
9 Apr 1928 · 105 km away · intensity IX
10 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1947M6.4
Conzata
24 Feb 1947 · 199 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1747
Carabaya Province: Ayapata
1747 · 101 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.