Reviewed by USGSPeru80y ago
M7.6 earthquake 23 km E of Santa Rosa, Peru
Saturday, November 1, 1947, 14:58:57 UTC · 10.960°S, 74.676°W
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 23 km E of Santa Rosa, Peru on Saturday, November 1, 1947, 14:58:57 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.6
- Major · 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
3.8 megatons of TNT
That is about 252 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 7,943 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
229 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
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 200 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.0 on November 7, 1947. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 5 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.512 km S of Chiara, PeruJanuary 9, 1921 · 275 km S of this epicenter
- 6.518 km WSW of Oxapampa, PeruDecember 24, 1937 · 103 km W of this epicenter
- 6.111 km WNW of Sayán, PeruJanuary 20, 1932 · 285 km W of this epicenter
- 6.1central PeruSeptember 30, 1946 · 287 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.071 km NE of Paucarbamba, PeruNovember 6, 1925 · 132 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 16 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 6,373 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1746M8.0
Lima, Callao
29 Oct 1746 · 298 km away · intensity XI
5,941 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1947M7.6
Satipo,Andamarca,Acobamba,La Merced,Victoc
1 Nov 1947 · 0 km away · intensity X
233 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1940M8.2
Peru
24 May 1940 · 259 km away · intensity X
179 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1937M6.5
Huancabamba,Oxapampa,El Progreso,San David
24 Dec 1937 · 209 km away · intensity X
15 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1865
Peru
8 Jan 1865 · 288 km away
5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1860
Lima, Callao
23 Apr 1860 · 293 km away · intensity VI
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.