Reviewed by USGSArgentina84y ago
M6.4 earthquake 10 km WNW of Tinogasta, Argentina
Monday, November 29, 1943, 19:37:04 UTC · 28.038°S, 67.668°W
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 10 km WNW of Tinogasta, Argentina on Monday, November 29, 1943, 19:37:04 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on January 29, 1924.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 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
62 kilotons of TNT
That is about 4 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 130 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
420 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American 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 4 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.594 km ENE of Vallenar, ChileNovember 11, 1922 · 216 km W of this epicenter
- 7.032 km NW of Fiambalá, ArgentinaAugust 3, 1920 · 66 km N of this epicenter
- 6.843 km N of Vallenar, ChileJanuary 29, 1924 · 299 km W of this epicenter
- 6.485 km SW of Antofagasta de la Sierra, ArgentinaDecember 4, 1918 · 151 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 10 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 721 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1922M8.5
Atacama
11 Nov 1922 · 216 km away · intensity XI
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1899
La Rioja
12 Apr 1899 · 99 km away · intensity VIII
11 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1859M7.6
Chile
5 Oct 1859 · 275 km away · intensity X
10 deathsUnder $1 million damagetsunami
- 1819M8.0
Copiapo
4 Apr 1819 · 269 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1819M8.0
Copiapo
3 Apr 1819 · 269 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1796M7.7
Copiapo, Vallenar, Huasco, Coquimbo
30 Mar 1796 · 275 km away · intensity XI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.