M7.2 earthquake 9 km ENE of Papayal, Peru

Thursday, December 10, 1970, 04:34:40 UTC · 4.044°S, 80.661°W

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 9 km ENE of Papayal, Peru on Thursday, December 10, 1970, 04:34:40 UTC, at a depth of 19.2 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on December 12, 1953.

Magnitude: 7.2; Major · mw
Depth: 19 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 0; Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking: IX; Violent (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: None; Not issued
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

951 kilotons of TNT

That is about 63 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,995 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

94 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North Andes and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

19 km

Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.

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 lists 14 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.9 on December 29, 1970. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 38 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 117 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1970M7.6
N; Ecuador: S
10 Dec 1970 · 7 km away · intensity X
82 deaths$6 million damage
1928M7.3
Chacahpoyas,Huancabamba,Cajamarca,Pinpincos
14 May 1928 · 270 km away · intensity X
29 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
1953M7.4
Peru-Ecuador
12 Dec 1953 · 72 km away · intensity IX
6 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
1913M7.7
Gonzanama, San Pedro, Molleture
24 Feb 1913 · 138 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
1912M7.0
Huancabamba,Cajamarca; Ecuador: Guayaquil
24 Jul 1912 · 177 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)
1943M6.9
Guayaquil
30 Jan 1943 · 217 km away · intensity VI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers