Reviewed by USGSPeru58y ago
M5.3 earthquake 57 km N of Segunda Jerusalén - Azunguillo, Peru
Saturday, September 7, 1968, 17:41:55 UTC · 5.473°S, 77.219°W
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 57 km N of Segunda Jerusalén - Azunguillo, Peru on Saturday, September 7, 1968, 17:41:55 UTC, at a depth of 24.3 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on July 16, 1968.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 24 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
1 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/12 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
214 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
24 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 42 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.516 km W of Barranca, PeruSeptember 28, 1906 · 86 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.323 km N of Bellavista, PeruMay 14, 1928 · 159 km W of this epicenter
- 7.115 km SSW of Huabal, PeruJuly 18, 1928 · 197 km W of this epicenter
- 6.848 km NNE of Segunda Jerusalén - Azunguillo, PeruJune 19, 1968 · 15 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.517 km NE of Tabaloslos, PeruApril 13, 1963 · 115 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.334 km NNE of Las Pirias, PeruMay 15, 1928 · 168 km W of this epicenter
- 6.298 km E of Gualaquiza, EcuadorNovember 3, 1963 · 221 km N of this epicenter
- 6.280 km ENE of Gualaquiza, EcuadorMay 25, 1958 · 259 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 4 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 44 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1928M7.3
Chacahpoyas,Huancabamba,Cajamarca,Pinpincos
14 May 1928 · 160 km away · intensity X
29 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1968M6.8
San Martin,Moyobamba,Yantalo,Rioja,Lamas
19 Jun 1968 · 21 km away
15 deathsUnder $1 million damage
- 1928M7.0
Peru
18 Jul 1928 · 197 km away · intensity VI
tsunami
- 1907
Peru
16 Nov 1907 · 286 km away · intensity VI
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.