Reviewed by USGSPeru68y ago
M6.9 earthquake 71 km NW of El Alto, Peru
Saturday, February 7, 1959, 09:36:57 UTC · 3.831°S, 81.686°W
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 71 km NW of El Alto, Peru on Saturday, February 7, 1959, 09:36:57 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.3 on December 12, 1953.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 30 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- 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
349 kilotons of TNT
That is about 23 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 733 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
28 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
30 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 20 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.314 km NNE of Zorritos, PeruDecember 12, 1953 · 121 km E of this epicenter
- 6.813 km ESE of Huangala, PeruJuly 24, 1912 · 178 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.846 km SW of Paján, EcuadorOctober 2, 1933 · 247 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.661 km WSW of Jipijapa, EcuadorMarch 29, 1946 · 257 km N of this epicenter
- 6.332 km N of Salinas, EcuadorAugust 26, 1957 · 226 km N of this epicenter
- 6.3115 km SSW of Sechura, PeruDecember 27, 1925 · 300 km S of this epicenter
- 6.310 km NE of El Alto, PeruJanuary 15, 1952 · 73 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 6 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1953M7.4
Peru-Ecuador
12 Dec 1953 · 130 km away · intensity IX
6 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1913M7.7
Gonzanama, San Pedro, Molleture
24 Feb 1913 · 236 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1912M7.0
Huancabamba,Cajamarca; Ecuador: Guayaquil
24 Jul 1912 · 244 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1943M6.9
Guayaquil
30 Jan 1943 · 233 km away · intensity VI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1959M7.4
Peru-Ecuador
7 Feb 1959 · 28 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1901M7.8
Esmeraldas
7 Jan 1901 · 207 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.