Reviewed by USGSPeru99y ago
M7.3 earthquake 23 km N of Bellavista, Peru
Monday, May 14, 1928, 22:14:48 UTC · 5.449°S, 78.658°W
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck 23 km N of Bellavista, Peru on Monday, May 14, 1928, 22:14:48 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.5 on September 28, 1906.
- Magnitude
- 7.3
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 10 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: 200 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1.3 megatons of TNT
That is about 83 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2,630 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
21 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sunda and Australian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
10 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 200 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on May 15, 1928. 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 4 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 4 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 29 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1928M7.3
Chacahpoyas,Huancabamba,Cajamarca,Pinpincos
14 May 1928 · 2 km away · intensity X
29 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1913M7.7
Gonzanama, San Pedro, Molleture
24 Feb 1913 · 251 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1912M7.0
Huancabamba,Cajamarca; Ecuador: Guayaquil
24 Jul 1912 · 195 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1928M7.0
Peru
18 Jul 1928 · 38 km away · intensity VI
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.