Reviewed by USGSArgentina60y ago
M6.3 earthquake 57 km SSE of Taco Pozo, Argentina
Tuesday, December 20, 1966, 12:26:55 UTC · 26.123°S, 63.152°W
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 57 km SSE of Taco Pozo, Argentina on Tuesday, December 20, 1966, 12:26:55 UTC, at a depth of 578.0 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.3 on December 9, 1964.
- Magnitude
- 6.3
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 578 km
- Deep
- 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
43 kilotons of TNT
That is about 3 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 89 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
527 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
578 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
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 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 13 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.331 km SE of Villa Atamisqui, ArgentinaDecember 7, 1912 · 286 km S of this epicenter
- 7.221 km SSE of Taco Pozo, ArgentinaDecember 8, 1962 · 36 km N of this epicenter
- 7.144 km WNW of Quimilí, ArgentinaAugust 14, 1950 · 157 km S of this epicenter
- 7.148 km NNW of Suncho Corral, ArgentinaJune 21, 1916 · 159 km S of this epicenter
- 6.930 km SSE of Santa Clara, ArgentinaAugust 25, 1948 · 222 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.410 km SW of El Hoyo, ArgentinaSeptember 29, 1962 · 109 km S of this epicenter
- 6.341 km S of El Hoyo, ArgentinaDecember 9, 1964 · 143 km S of this epicenter
- 6.17 km ESE of El Carril, ArgentinaDecember 24, 1930 · 254 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 31 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1930M6.1
La Poma
24 Dec 1930 · 254 km away · intensity VIII
31 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1948M6.9
Salta
25 Aug 1948 · 222 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1817
Santiago Del Estero Province
4 Jul 1817 · 248 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1826
Candelaria, Trancas, Zarate, El Tala
19 Jan 1826 · 90 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1916M7.5
Argentina
21 Jun 1916 · 265 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.