M5.2 earthquake 19 km NW of Papayal, Peru

Monday, December 21, 1970, 07:21:46 UTC · 3.938°S, 80.851°W

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 19 km NW of Papayal, Peru on Monday, December 21, 1970, 07:21:46 UTC, at a depth of 33.3 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on December 15, 1970.

Magnitude: 5.2; Moderate · mw
Depth: 33 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 0; Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking: —; No ShakeMap
PAGER alert: None; Not issued
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

801 tons of TNT

That is about 1/19 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

76 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

33 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 75 km

USGS lists 5 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 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 47 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 · 18 km away · intensity X
82 deaths$6 million damage
1928M7.3
Chacahpoyas,Huancabamba,Cajamarca,Pinpincos
14 May 1928 · 294 km away · intensity X
29 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
1953M7.4
Peru-Ecuador
12 Dec 1953 · 66 km away · intensity IX
6 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
1913M7.7
Gonzanama, San Pedro, Molleture
24 Feb 1913 · 151 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
1912M7.0
Huancabamba,Cajamarca; Ecuador: Guayaquil
24 Jul 1912 · 193 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)
1943M6.9
Guayaquil
30 Jan 1943 · 208 km away · intensity VI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)

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

Nearby trackers