Reviewed by USGSPeru60y ago
M8.1 earthquake 67 km W of Paramonga, Peru
Monday, October 17, 1966, 21:41:58 UTC · 10.704°S, 78.448°W
A magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck 67 km W of Paramonga, Peru on Monday, October 17, 1966, 21:41:58 UTC, at a depth of 37.4 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.2 on May 24, 1940.
- Magnitude
- 8.1
- Great · mw
- Depth
- 37 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VII
- Very strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 400 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
21 megatons of TNT
That is about 1,415 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 44,668 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
141 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
37 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 400 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 400 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.7 on October 29, 1966. 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 17 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 · 124 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.155 km SW of Santiago de Cao, PeruJune 21, 1937 · 299 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.928 km W of Paramonga, PeruSeptember 24, 1963 · 40 km E of this epicenter
- 6.86 km SSW of Quiches, PeruNovember 10, 1946 · 271 km N of this epicenter
- 6.710 km SSW of Huacho, PeruMay 24, 1940 · 104 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.480 km SW of Puerto Casma, PeruApril 18, 1962 · 100 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.3274 km WSW of Puerto Casma, PeruNovember 17, 1925 · 238 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3102 km SW of Huarmey, PeruSeptember 29, 1916 · 51 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 24 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 8,585 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1746M8.0
Lima, Callao
29 Oct 1746 · 198 km away · intensity XI
5,941 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1725M7.7
Trujillo, Ancash, Lima
7 Jan 1725 · 199 km away · intensity IX
1,500 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1946M7.3
Jocaibamba,Cerro Angaschaj,Cerro Sillapata
10 Nov 1946 · 266 km away · intensity XI
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1940M8.2
Peru
24 May 1940 · 160 km away · intensity X
179 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1966M8.1
Lima,Huacho,Huaura, Chancay,Supe,San Nicolas
17 Oct 1966 · 21 km away · intensity IX
110 deaths$35 million damagetsunami
- 1828M8.3
Lima, Callao
30 Mar 1828 · 173 km away · intensity VII
30 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.