Reviewed by USGSEcuador70y ago
M6.3 earthquake 32 km N of Salinas, Ecuador
Monday, August 26, 1957, 13:58:50 UTC · 1.925°S, 80.990°W
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 32 km N of Salinas, Ecuador on Monday, August 26, 1957, 13:58:50 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on January 16, 1956.
- Magnitude
- 6.3
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
49 kilotons of TNT
That is about 3 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 102 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
66 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and North Andes 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 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 29 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.812 km SE of Pedernales, EcuadorMay 14, 1942 · 240 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.314 km NNE of Zorritos, PeruDecember 12, 1953 · 185 km S of this epicenter
- 7.07 km NNE of Tosagua, EcuadorJanuary 16, 1956 · 159 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.846 km SW of Paján, EcuadorOctober 2, 1933 · 29 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.629 km SE of Pedernales, EcuadorJuly 12, 1942 · 234 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.661 km WSW of Jipijapa, EcuadorMarch 29, 1946 · 37 km N of this epicenter
- 6.5197 km NW of Manta, EcuadorNovember 18, 1914 · 272 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 14 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 41,246 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1797M8.3
Riobamba, Quito, Cuzco; Peru; Colombia
4 Feb 1797 · 260 km away · intensity XI
40,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1757M7.0
Cotopaxi,Tungurahua, Latacunga
22 Feb 1757 · 289 km away · intensity IX
1,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1942M7.9
Guayaquil
14 May 1942 · 142 km away · intensity IX
200 deaths$3 million damage
- 1924M6.9
Ecuador
3 Mar 1924 · 268 km away
40 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1953M7.4
Peru-Ecuador
12 Dec 1953 · 170 km away · intensity IX
6 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1913M7.7
Gonzanama, San Pedro, Molleture
24 Feb 1913 · 225 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.