Reviewed by USGSPeru56y ago
M5.2 earthquake 24 km WNW of Cañaveral, Peru
Sunday, December 27, 1970, 03:10:08 UTC · 3.878°S, 80.859°W
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 24 km WNW of Cañaveral, Peru on Sunday, December 27, 1970, 03:10:08 UTC, at a depth of 42.4 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.2 on December 22, 1970.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 42 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
829 tons of TNT
That is about 1/18 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
70 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
42 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 2 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.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 51 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.314 km NNE of Zorritos, PeruDecember 12, 1953 · 44 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.323 km N of Bellavista, PeruMay 14, 1928 · 300 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.29 km ENE of Papayal, PeruDecember 10, 1970 · 29 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.115 km SSW of Huabal, PeruJuly 18, 1928 · 293 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.971 km NW of El Alto, PeruFebruary 7, 1959 · 92 km W of this epicenter
- 6.813 km ESE of Huangala, PeruJuly 24, 1912 · 120 km S of this epicenter
- 6.846 km SW of Paján, EcuadorOctober 2, 1933 · 229 km N of this epicenter
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 · 22 km away · intensity X
82 deaths$6 million damage
- 1928M7.3
Chacahpoyas,Huancabamba,Cajamarca,Pinpincos
14 May 1928 · 298 km away · intensity X
29 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1953M7.4
Peru-Ecuador
12 Dec 1953 · 60 km away · intensity IX
6 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1913M7.7
Gonzanama, San Pedro, Molleture
24 Feb 1913 · 149 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1912M7.0
Huancabamba,Cajamarca; Ecuador: Guayaquil
24 Jul 1912 · 200 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1943M6.9
Guayaquil
30 Jan 1943 · 202 km away · intensity VI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.