Reviewed by USGSArgentina56y ago
M6.0 earthquake 69 km NW of Vinchina, Argentina
Tuesday, May 18, 1971, 06:12:36 UTC · 28.393°S, 68.778°W
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 69 km NW of Vinchina, Argentina on Tuesday, May 18, 1971, 06:12:36 UTC, at a depth of 85.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on March 15, 1970.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 85 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (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
14 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 30 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
320 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: intermediate
85 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 60 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.594 km ENE of Vallenar, ChileNovember 11, 1922 · 106 km W of this epicenter
- 8.060 km W of Diego de Almagro, ChileDecember 4, 1918 · 283 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.4Atacama, ChileApril 18, 1939 · 244 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.032 km NW of Fiambalá, ArgentinaAugust 3, 1920 · 136 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.952 km W of Diego de Almagro, ChileAugust 2, 1946 · 279 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.936 km W of Copiapó, ChileSeptember 6, 1910 · 218 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.843 km N of Vallenar, ChileJanuary 29, 1924 · 191 km W of this epicenter
- 6.792 km NW of Vallenar, ChileNovember 11, 1922 · 268 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 22 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 723 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1922M8.5
Atacama
11 Nov 1922 · 106 km away · intensity XI
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1899
La Rioja
12 Apr 1899 · 47 km away · intensity VIII
11 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1859M7.6
Chile
5 Oct 1859 · 193 km away · intensity X
10 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 1946M7.9
Northern
2 Aug 1946 · 271 km away
2 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1819M8.0
Copiapo
4 Apr 1819 · 186 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1819M8.0
Copiapo
3 Apr 1819 · 186 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.