Reviewed by USGSPeru65y ago
M6.4 earthquake 80 km SW of Puerto Casma, Peru
Wednesday, April 18, 1962, 19:14:41 UTC · 9.941°S, 78.933°W
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 80 km SW of Puerto Casma, Peru on Wednesday, April 18, 1962, 19:14:41 UTC, at a depth of 49.4 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on November 10, 1946.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 49 km
- Shallow
- 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
56 kilotons of TNT
That is about 4 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 117 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
136 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
49 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 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 12 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 · 216 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.155 km SW of Santiago de Cao, PeruJune 21, 1937 · 200 km N of this epicenter
- 6.86 km SSW of Quiches, PeruNovember 10, 1946 · 227 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.710 km SSW of Huacho, PeruMay 24, 1940 · 199 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.3274 km WSW of Puerto Casma, PeruNovember 17, 1925 · 198 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3102 km SW of Huarmey, PeruSeptember 29, 1916 · 75 km S of this epicenter
- 6.111 km WNW of Sayán, PeruJanuary 20, 1932 · 220 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.1123 km WSW of Puerto Casma, PeruApril 3, 1931 · 54 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 8,469 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1746M8.0
Lima, Callao
29 Oct 1746 · 297 km away · intensity XI
5,941 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1725M7.7
Trujillo, Ancash, Lima
7 Jan 1725 · 105 km away · intensity IX
1,500 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1946M7.3
Jocaibamba,Cerro Angaschaj,Cerro Sillapata
10 Nov 1946 · 225 km away · intensity XI
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1940M8.2
Peru
24 May 1940 · 220 km away · intensity X
179 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1828M8.3
Lima, Callao
30 Mar 1828 · 273 km away · intensity VII
30 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1937M6.5
Huancabamba,Oxapampa,El Progreso,San David
24 Dec 1937 · 271 km away · intensity X
15 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.