Reviewed by USGSPeru66y ago
M7.6 earthquake 103 km WSW of Mórrope, Peru
Sunday, November 20, 1960, 22:01:57 UTC · 6.775°S, 80.918°W
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 103 km WSW of Mórrope, Peru on Sunday, November 20, 1960, 22:01:57 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.6
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 15 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 earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3.8 megatons of TNT
That is about 252 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 7,943 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
86 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
15 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 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 16 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.323 km N of Bellavista, PeruMay 14, 1928 · 290 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.155 km SW of Santiago de Cao, PeruJune 21, 1937 · 219 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.115 km SSW of Huabal, PeruJuly 18, 1928 · 243 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.813 km ESE of Huangala, PeruJuly 24, 1912 · 214 km N of this epicenter
- 6.3115 km SSW of Sechura, PeruDecember 27, 1925 · 50 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.310 km NE of El Alto, PeruJanuary 15, 1952 · 287 km N of this epicenter
- 6.351 km W of Pimentel, PeruMay 5, 1940 · 59 km E of this epicenter
- 6.334 km NNE of Las Pirias, PeruMay 15, 1928 · 289 km NE 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 95 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1960M6.7
Peru
20 Nov 1960 · 24 km away
66 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 1928M7.3
Chacahpoyas,Huancabamba,Cajamarca,Pinpincos
14 May 1928 · 290 km away · intensity X
29 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1912M7.0
Huancabamba,Cajamarca; Ecuador: Guayaquil
24 Jul 1912 · 140 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1928M7.0
Peru
18 Jul 1928 · 255 km away · intensity VI
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.