Reviewed by USGSPeru73y ago
M7.3 earthquake 14 km NNE of Zorritos, Peru
Saturday, December 12, 1953, 17:31:29 UTC · 3.552°S, 80.636°W
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck 14 km NNE of Zorritos, Peru on Saturday, December 12, 1953, 17:31:29 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.3
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 25 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
1.4 megatons of TNT
That is about 96 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3,020 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
45 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North Andes and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
25 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 17 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.813 km ESE of Huangala, PeruJuly 24, 1912 · 150 km S of this epicenter
- 6.846 km SW of Paján, EcuadorOctober 2, 1933 · 193 km N of this epicenter
- 6.661 km WSW of Jipijapa, EcuadorMarch 29, 1946 · 222 km N of this epicenter
- 6.310 km NE of El Alto, PeruJanuary 15, 1952 · 92 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.374 km WSW of Jipijapa, EcuadorFebruary 8, 1938 · 235 km N of this epicenter
- 6.327 km WSW of Jipijapa, EcuadorFebruary 8, 1938 · 240 km N of this epicenter
- 6.334 km NNE of Las Pirias, PeruMay 15, 1928 · 290 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 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 · 17 km away · intensity IX
6 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1913M7.7
Gonzanama, San Pedro, Molleture
24 Feb 1913 · 116 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1912M7.0
Huancabamba,Cajamarca; Ecuador: Guayaquil
24 Jul 1912 · 231 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1943M6.9
Guayaquil
30 Jan 1943 · 162 km away · intensity VI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1906M7.9
Ecuador
28 Sep 1906 · 251 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1901M7.8
Esmeraldas
7 Jan 1901 · 230 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.