Reviewed by USGSPeru76y ago
M6.3 earthquake 29 km ESE of Santiago, Peru
Sunday, December 10, 1950, 02:50:45 UTC · 14.305°S, 75.472°W
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 29 km ESE of Santiago, Peru on Sunday, December 10, 1950, 02:50:45 UTC, at a depth of 61.5 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.3 on August 25, 1942.
- Magnitude
- 6.3
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 62 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
44 kilotons of TNT
That is about 3 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 92 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
60 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
62 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 23 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.121 km NNE of Minas de Marcona, PeruAugust 24, 1942 · 95 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.913 km SSW of San Juan, PeruOctober 3, 1916 · 140 km E of this epicenter
- 6.691 km SSW of Santiago, PeruJune 25, 1930 · 94 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.512 km S of Chiara, PeruJanuary 9, 1921 · 172 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.512 km WNW of Cotaruse, PeruFebruary 28, 1920 · 232 km E of this epicenter
- 6.3144 km W of Paracas, PeruApril 6, 1922 · 229 km W of this epicenter
- 6.360 km W of San Juan, PeruAugust 25, 1942 · 113 km S of this epicenter
- 6.29 km S of San Juan, PeruJune 25, 1930 · 132 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 19 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 254 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1913M6.3
Amyaraes, Abancay, Casaya, Soraya
4 Nov 1913 · 277 km away · intensity X
150 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1914
Pararca,Paysa,Colta,Oyala
2 Dec 1914 · 264 km away · intensity X
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1813
Ica
30 Mar 1813 · 24 km away · intensity VII
32 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1942M8.2
Ica, Nazca
24 Aug 1942 · 96 km away · intensity IX
30 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1948M7.0
Canete
28 May 1948 · 183 km away · intensity VII
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1950M7.0
Ica,Chimbote,Huaraz,Cajamarca,Cuzco,Moquegua
10 Dec 1950 · 31 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.