Reviewed by USGSEcuador85y ago
M7.8 earthquake 12 km SE of Pedernales, Ecuador
Thursday, May 14, 1942, 02:13:27 UTC · 0.014°S, 79.982°W
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck 12 km SE of Pedernales, Ecuador on Thursday, May 14, 1942, 02:13:27 UTC, at a depth of 20.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.8 on January 31, 1906.
- Magnitude
- 7.8
- 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
7.6 megatons of TNT
That is about 502 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 15,849 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
112 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and North Andes 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.4 on May 17, 1942. 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 15 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.81906 Ecuador-Colombia EarthquakeJanuary 31, 1906 · 127 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.846 km SW of Paján, EcuadorOctober 2, 1933 · 218 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.813 km N of Muisne, EcuadorJune 30, 1916 · 83 km N of this epicenter
- 6.667 km NNW of Esmeraldas, EcuadorJune 1, 1907 · 168 km N of this epicenter
- 6.5197 km NW of Manta, EcuadorNovember 18, 1914 · 222 km W of this epicenter
- 6.537 km SSW of La Tola, ColombiaJune 5, 1907 · 298 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.374 km WSW of Jipijapa, EcuadorFebruary 8, 1938 · 218 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.327 km WSW of Jipijapa, EcuadorFebruary 8, 1938 · 180 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 21 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 112,790 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1868M7.7
Guayaquil,Ibarra; Colombia: San Pablo
16 Aug 1868 · 204 km away · intensity X
70,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)
- 1797M8.3
Riobamba, Quito, Cuzco; Peru; Colombia
4 Feb 1797 · 232 km away · intensity XI
40,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1906M8.8
Off Coast
31 Jan 1906 · 127 km away · intensity IX
1,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1757M7.0
Cotopaxi,Tungurahua, Latacunga
22 Feb 1757 · 183 km away · intensity IX
1,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1923M6.2
Ipiales
14 Dec 1923 · 264 km away · intensity IX
300 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1936M5.6
Colombia
9 Jan 1936 · 292 km away · intensity VII
250 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.