Reviewed by USGSArgentina64y ago
M6.4 earthquake 10 km SW of El Hoyo, Argentina
Saturday, September 29, 1962, 15:17:48 UTC · 27.089°S, 63.311°W
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 10 km SW of El Hoyo, Argentina on Saturday, September 29, 1962, 15:17:48 UTC, at a depth of 573.0 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on August 14, 1950.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 573 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
64 kilotons of TNT
That is about 4 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 135 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
633 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
573 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 5 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 · 177 km S of this epicenter
- 7.144 km WNW of Quimilí, ArgentinaAugust 14, 1950 · 66 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.148 km NNW of Suncho Corral, ArgentinaJune 21, 1916 · 52 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.027 km ESE of Burruyacú, ArgentinaApril 3, 1931 · 129 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.042 km ENE of Cafayate, ArgentinaSeptember 23, 1930 · 264 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. The most severe:
- 1817
Santiago Del Estero Province
4 Jul 1817 · 155 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1826
Candelaria, Trancas, Zarate, El Tala
19 Jan 1826 · 145 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1912M7.5
Santiago Del Estero Province
7 Dec 1912 · 227 km away
- 1916M7.5
Argentina
21 Jun 1916 · 160 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.