Reviewed by USGSEcuador94y ago
M6.8 earthquake 46 km SW of Paján, Ecuador
Monday, October 2, 1933, 15:29:27 UTC · 1.820°S, 80.747°W
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 46 km SW of Paján, Ecuador on Monday, October 2, 1933, 15:29:27 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 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: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
231 kilotons of TNT
That is about 15 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 484 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
92 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 M6.0 on October 3, 1933. 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 7 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.813 km N of Muisne, EcuadorJune 30, 1916 · 295 km N of this epicenter
- 6.5197 km NW of Manta, EcuadorNovember 18, 1914 · 273 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.233 km W of Ambato, EcuadorJuly 22, 1924 · 213 km E of this epicenter
- 6.226 km SE of Santa Elena, EcuadorMarch 29, 1917 · 64 km S of this epicenter
- 6.0117 km NW of Máncora, PeruMarch 11, 1924 · 194 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.524 km SSW of Muisne, EcuadorMarch 27, 1926 · 258 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 9 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 · 232 km away · intensity XI
40,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1757M7.0
Cotopaxi,Tungurahua, Latacunga
22 Feb 1757 · 260 km away · intensity IX
1,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1924M6.9
Ecuador
3 Mar 1924 · 240 km away
40 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1913M7.7
Gonzanama, San Pedro, Molleture
24 Feb 1913 · 217 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1736
Ecuador
5 Dec 1736 · 253 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1906M7.9
Ecuador
28 Sep 1906 · 195 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.