Reviewed by USGSPeru87y ago
M6.7 earthquake 10 km SSW of Huacho, Peru
Friday, May 24, 1940, 21:57:55 UTC · 11.196°S, 77.636°W
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck 10 km SSW of Huacho, Peru on Friday, May 24, 1940, 21:57:55 UTC, at a depth of 45.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.2 on May 24, 1940.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 45 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
169 kilotons of TNT
That is about 11 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 355 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
181 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
45 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:
- 8.221 km SE of Huacho, PeruMay 24, 1940 · 22 km E of this epicenter
- 6.518 km WSW of Oxapampa, PeruDecember 24, 1937 · 235 km E of this epicenter
- 6.3102 km SW of Huarmey, PeruSeptember 29, 1916 · 153 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.111 km WNW of Sayán, PeruJanuary 20, 1932 · 40 km E of this epicenter
- 6.1123 km WSW of Puerto Casma, PeruApril 3, 1931 · 243 km NW of this epicenter
- 5.958 km WSW of Puerto Santa, PeruNovember 21, 1927 · 279 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 19 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 7,670 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1746M8.0
Lima, Callao
29 Oct 1746 · 101 km away · intensity XI
5,941 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1725M7.7
Trujillo, Ancash, Lima
7 Jan 1725 · 286 km away · intensity IX
1,500 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1940M8.2
Peru
24 May 1940 · 104 km away · intensity X
179 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1828M8.3
Lima, Callao
30 Mar 1828 · 106 km away · intensity VII
30 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1937M6.5
Huancabamba,Oxapampa,El Progreso,San David
24 Dec 1937 · 133 km away · intensity X
15 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1865
Peru
8 Jan 1865 · 107 km away
5 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.