Reviewed by USGSArgentina64y ago
M7.2 earthquake 21 km SSE of Taco Pozo, Argentina
Saturday, December 8, 1962, 21:27:21 UTC · 25.802°S, 63.210°W
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 21 km SSE of Taco Pozo, Argentina on Saturday, December 8, 1962, 21:27:21 UTC, at a depth of 588.7 km (deep). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 589 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
801 kilotons of TNT
That is about 53 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,679 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
491 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
589 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 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 7 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.144 km WNW of Quimilí, ArgentinaAugust 14, 1950 · 193 km S of this epicenter
- 7.148 km NNW of Suncho Corral, ArgentinaJune 21, 1916 · 193 km S of this epicenter
- 6.930 km SSE of Santa Clara, ArgentinaAugust 25, 1948 · 191 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.410 km SW of El Hoyo, ArgentinaSeptember 29, 1962 · 143 km S of this epicenter
- 6.17 km ESE of El Carril, ArgentinaDecember 24, 1930 · 235 km W of this epicenter
- 6.027 km ESE of Burruyacú, ArgentinaApril 3, 1931 · 158 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.042 km ENE of Cafayate, ArgentinaSeptember 23, 1930 · 240 km W 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 · 235 km away · intensity VIII
31 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1844M6.5
Salta, Jujuy, Tucuman
19 Oct 1844 · 294 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1948M6.9
Salta
25 Aug 1948 · 191 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1817
Santiago Del Estero Province
4 Jul 1817 · 276 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1826
Candelaria, Trancas, Zarate, El Tala
19 Jan 1826 · 106 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.