Reviewed by USGSArgentina79y ago
M6.9 earthquake 30 km SSE of Santa Clara, Argentina
Wednesday, August 25, 1948, 06:09:28 UTC · 24.556°S, 64.522°W
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 30 km SSE of Santa Clara, Argentina on Wednesday, August 25, 1948, 06:09:28 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 30 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
338 kilotons of TNT
That is about 22 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 708 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
346 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 4 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.17 km ESE of El Carril, ArgentinaDecember 24, 1930 · 109 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.027 km ESE of Burruyacú, ArgentinaApril 3, 1931 · 230 km S of this epicenter
- 6.042 km ENE of Cafayate, ArgentinaSeptember 23, 1930 · 184 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.734 km N of San Antonio de los Cobres, ArgentinaOctober 27, 1926 · 200 km W 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 31 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1930M6.1
La Poma
24 Dec 1930 · 109 km away · intensity VIII
31 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1844M6.5
Salta, Jujuy, Tucuman
19 Oct 1844 · 157 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1899M6.9
Southern; Argentina: Salta
23 Mar 1899 · 300 km away · intensity X
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1948M6.9
Salta
25 Aug 1948 · 0 km away · intensity IX
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1826
Candelaria, Trancas, Zarate, El Tala
19 Jan 1826 · 292 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1863
Jujuy
14 Jan 1863 · 117 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.