Reviewed by USGSEcuador71y ago
M7.0 earthquake 7 km NNE of Tosagua, Ecuador
Monday, January 16, 1956, 23:37:45 UTC · 0.727°S, 80.213°W
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 7 km NNE of Tosagua, Ecuador on Monday, January 16, 1956, 23:37:45 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.8 on May 14, 1942.
- Magnitude
- 7.0
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 20 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
401 kilotons of TNT
That is about 27 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 841 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
121 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and North Andes plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
20 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 35 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.81906 Ecuador-Colombia EarthquakeJanuary 31, 1906 · 209 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.812 km SE of Pedernales, EcuadorMay 14, 1942 · 83 km N of this epicenter
- 6.846 km SW of Paján, EcuadorOctober 2, 1933 · 135 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.813 km N of Muisne, EcuadorJune 30, 1916 · 164 km N of this epicenter
- 6.667 km NNW of Esmeraldas, EcuadorJune 1, 1907 · 249 km N of this epicenter
- 6.645 km ESE of Esmeraldas, EcuadorOctober 23, 1944 · 195 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.629 km SE of Pedernales, EcuadorJuly 12, 1942 · 76 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 26 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 118,246 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1868M7.7
Guayaquil,Ibarra; Colombia: San Pablo
16 Aug 1868 · 254 km away · intensity X
70,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1797M8.3
Riobamba, Quito, Cuzco; Peru; Colombia
4 Feb 1797 · 199 km away · intensity XI
40,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1949M6.5
Tungurahua
5 Aug 1949 · 220 km away
6,000 deaths$8 million damage
- 1906M8.8
Off Coast
31 Jan 1906 · 209 km away · intensity IX
1,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1757M7.0
Cotopaxi,Tungurahua, Latacunga
22 Feb 1757 · 180 km away · intensity IX
1,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1942M7.9
Guayaquil
14 May 1942 · 143 km away · intensity IX
200 deaths$3 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.