Reviewed by USGSPeru57y ago
M5.1 earthquake 2 km NNW of Matacoto, Peru
Monday, June 1, 1970, 06:11:53 UTC · 9.159°S, 77.754°W
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 2 km NNW of Matacoto, Peru on Monday, June 1, 1970, 06:11:53 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.4 on June 1, 1970.
- Magnitude
- 5.1
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 15 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
773 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
252 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
15 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 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 33 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.221 km SE of Huacho, PeruMay 24, 1940 · 231 km S of this epicenter
- 8.167 km W of Paramonga, PeruOctober 17, 1966 · 188 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.934 km SW of Chimbote, PeruMay 31, 1970 · 121 km W of this epicenter
- 7.155 km SW of Santiago de Cao, PeruJune 21, 1937 · 228 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0179 km WSW of Huarmey, PeruSeptember 3, 1967 · 268 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.928 km W of Paramonga, PeruSeptember 24, 1963 · 170 km S of this epicenter
- 6.86 km SSW of Quiches, PeruNovember 10, 1946 · 83 km N of this epicenter
- 6.710 km SSW of Huacho, PeruMay 24, 1940 · 227 km S 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 69,415 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1970M7.9
Northern, Pisco, Chiclayo
31 May 1970 · 115 km away · intensity X
66,794 deaths$530 million damagetsunami
- 1725M7.7
Trujillo, Ancash, Lima
7 Jan 1725 · 138 km away · intensity IX
1,500 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1946M7.3
Jocaibamba,Cerro Angaschaj,Cerro Sillapata
10 Nov 1946 · 78 km away · intensity XI
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1940M8.2
Peru
24 May 1940 · 170 km away · intensity X
179 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1966M8.1
Lima,Huacho,Huaura, Chancay,Supe,San Nicolas
17 Oct 1966 · 201 km away · intensity IX
110 deaths$35 million damagetsunami
- 1937M6.5
Huancabamba,Oxapampa,El Progreso,San David
24 Dec 1937 · 210 km away · intensity X
15 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.