Reviewed by USGSEcuador89y ago
M6.3 earthquake 27 km WSW of Jipijapa, Ecuador
Tuesday, February 8, 1938, 07:16:14 UTC · 1.402°S, 80.820°W
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 27 km WSW of Jipijapa, Ecuador on Tuesday, February 8, 1938, 07:16:14 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.8 on October 2, 1933.
- Magnitude
- 6.3
- Strong · 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
41 kilotons of TNT
That is about 3 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 86 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
72 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and North Andes 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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on February 8, 1938. 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 9 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.846 km SW of Paján, EcuadorOctober 2, 1933 · 47 km S of this epicenter
- 6.813 km N of Muisne, EcuadorJune 30, 1916 · 254 km N of this epicenter
- 6.5197 km NW of Manta, EcuadorNovember 18, 1914 · 229 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.233 km W of Ambato, EcuadorJuly 22, 1924 · 212 km E of this epicenter
- 6.226 km SE of Santa Elena, EcuadorMarch 29, 1917 · 111 km S of this epicenter
- 6.0117 km NW of Máncora, PeruMarch 11, 1924 · 230 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.048 km N of Salinas, EcuadorOctober 3, 1933 · 43 km S 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 41,040 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1797M8.3
Riobamba, Quito, Cuzco; Peru; Colombia
4 Feb 1797 · 240 km away · intensity XI
40,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1757M7.0
Cotopaxi,Tungurahua, Latacunga
22 Feb 1757 · 253 km away · intensity IX
1,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1924M6.9
Ecuador
3 Mar 1924 · 248 km away
40 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1938M7.0
Alangasi,Sangolqui,Tingo-Pichincha
10 Aug 1938 · 296 km away · intensity X
Extreme damage ($25M+)
- 1913M7.7
Gonzanama, San Pedro, Molleture
24 Feb 1913 · 260 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1755M7.0
Pichincha, Quito
26 Apr 1755 · 291 km away · intensity IX
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.