Reviewed by USGSPeru81y ago
M6.8 earthquake 6 km SSW of Quiches, Peru
Sunday, November 10, 1946, 17:42:56 UTC · 8.451°S, 77.515°W
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 6 km SSW of Quiches, Peru on Sunday, November 10, 1946, 17:42:56 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on June 21, 1937.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
239 kilotons of TNT
That is about 16 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 501 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
115 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Australian plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
15 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 6 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.155 km SW of Santiago de Cao, PeruJune 21, 1937 · 233 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3102 km SW of Huarmey, PeruSeptember 29, 1916 · 285 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.111 km WNW of Sayán, PeruJanuary 20, 1932 · 293 km S of this epicenter
- 6.1123 km WSW of Puerto Casma, PeruApril 3, 1931 · 264 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.958 km WSW of Puerto Santa, PeruNovember 21, 1927 · 196 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.758 km NNW of San Alejandro, PeruSeptember 12, 1925 · 223 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2,494 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1725M7.7
Trujillo, Ancash, Lima
7 Jan 1725 · 174 km away · intensity IX
1,500 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1946M7.3
Jocaibamba,Cerro Angaschaj,Cerro Sillapata
10 Nov 1946 · 6 km away · intensity XI
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1940M8.2
Peru
24 May 1940 · 235 km away · intensity X
179 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1937M6.5
Huancabamba,Oxapampa,El Progreso,San David
24 Dec 1937 · 265 km away · intensity X
15 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1907
Peru
16 Nov 1907 · 94 km away · intensity VI
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.