Reviewed by USGSPeru64y ago
M6.5 earthquake 17 km NE of Tabaloslos, Peru
Saturday, April 13, 1963, 02:20:58 UTC · 6.254°S, 76.539°W
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 17 km NE of Tabaloslos, Peru on Saturday, April 13, 1963, 02:20:58 UTC, at a depth of 119.8 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on November 10, 1946.
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 120 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
85 kilotons of TNT
That is about 6 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 178 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
164 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: intermediate
120 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 9 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 · 164 km N of this epicenter
- 7.323 km N of Bellavista, PeruMay 14, 1928 · 251 km W of this epicenter
- 7.115 km SSW of Huabal, PeruJuly 18, 1928 · 276 km W of this epicenter
- 6.86 km SSW of Quiches, PeruNovember 10, 1946 · 267 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.334 km NNE of Las Pirias, PeruMay 15, 1928 · 263 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.152 km WSW of Barranca, PeruApril 17, 1953 · 153 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.110 km SSE of Huaylillas, PeruFebruary 14, 1948 · 241 km S of this epicenter
- 6.0119 km WNW of Barranca, PeruMay 26, 1928 · 230 km NW 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 829 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1946M7.3
Jocaibamba,Cerro Angaschaj,Cerro Sillapata
10 Nov 1946 · 271 km away · intensity XI
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1928M7.3
Chacahpoyas,Huancabamba,Cajamarca,Pinpincos
14 May 1928 · 252 km away · intensity X
29 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1928M7.0
Peru
18 Jul 1928 · 285 km away · intensity VI
tsunami
- 1907
Peru
16 Nov 1907 · 197 km away · intensity VI
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.