Reviewed by USGSPeru85y ago
M5.9 earthquake 48 km SSW of San Juan, Peru
Wednesday, August 26, 1942, 12:08:30 UTC · 15.775°S, 75.313°W
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 48 km SSW of San Juan, Peru on Wednesday, August 26, 1942, 12:08:30 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.0 on August 25, 1942.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
9 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/2 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 19 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
42 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and Altiplano plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 18 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.121 km NNE of Minas de Marcona, PeruAugust 24, 1942 · 87 km N of this epicenter
- 7.737 km SSW of Atico, PeruAugust 6, 1913 · 188 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.235 km N of El Cardo, PeruOctober 11, 1922 · 284 km E of this epicenter
- 6.913 km SSW of San Juan, PeruOctober 3, 1916 · 159 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.7165 km SSW of Atiquipa, PeruJuly 28, 1913 · 159 km S of this epicenter
- 6.7103 km SSW of Atico, PeruSeptember 13, 1919 · 197 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.691 km SSW of Santiago, PeruJune 25, 1930 · 121 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.512 km S of Chiara, PeruJanuary 9, 1921 · 292 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 258 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1821
Camana, Ocona, Caraveli
10 Jul 1821 · 254 km away · intensity VIII
162 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1914
Pararca,Paysa,Colta,Oyala
2 Dec 1914 · 235 km away · intensity X
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1813
Ica
30 Mar 1813 · 186 km away · intensity VII
32 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1942M8.2
Ica, Nazca
24 Aug 1942 · 113 km away · intensity IX
30 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1913M7.9
Caraveli, Chuquibamba, Ocona, Atico
6 Aug 1913 · 195 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1739
Santa Catalina
24 Mar 1739 · 294 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.