Reviewed by USGSArgentina97y ago
M6.0 earthquake 42 km ENE of Cafayate, Argentina
Tuesday, September 23, 1930, 23:34:01 UTC · 25.894°S, 65.602°W
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 42 km ENE of Cafayate, Argentina on Tuesday, September 23, 1930, 23:34:01 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on August 3, 1920.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- 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
15 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 31 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
488 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 5 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.148 km NNW of Suncho Corral, ArgentinaJune 21, 1916 · 272 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.032 km NW of Fiambalá, ArgentinaAugust 3, 1920 · 286 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.485 km SW of Antofagasta de la Sierra, ArgentinaDecember 4, 1918 · 244 km W of this epicenter
- 5.734 km N of San Antonio de los Cobres, ArgentinaOctober 27, 1926 · 234 km N of this epicenter
- 5.5110 km NNW of Antofagasta de la Sierra, ArgentinaApril 2, 1928 · 240 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 31 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1930M6.1
La Poma
24 Dec 1930 · 90 km away · intensity VIII
31 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1844M6.5
Salta, Jujuy, Tucuman
19 Oct 1844 · 107 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1817
Santiago Del Estero Province
4 Jul 1817 · 258 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1863
Jujuy
14 Jan 1863 · 262 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1898
Catamarca
5 Feb 1898 · 289 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.