Reviewed by USGSPeru100y ago
M6.0 earthquake 23 km SE of Bernal, Peru
Sunday, March 13, 1927, 05:32:35 UTC · 5.614°S, 80.622°W
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 23 km SE of Bernal, Peru on Sunday, March 13, 1927, 05:32:35 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.3 on December 27, 1925.
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 35 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
14 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 29 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
150 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
35 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:
- 6.813 km ESE of Huangala, PeruJuly 24, 1912 · 81 km N of this epicenter
- 6.3115 km SSW of Sechura, PeruDecember 27, 1925 · 122 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.220 km WNW of Las Lomas, PeruSeptember 25, 1914 · 113 km N of this epicenter
- 6.0117 km NW of Máncora, PeruMarch 11, 1924 · 286 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.0193 km WSW of Paita, PeruJuly 1, 1926 · 228 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 2 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1913M7.7
Gonzanama, San Pedro, Molleture
24 Feb 1913 · 271 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1912M7.0
Huancabamba,Cajamarca; Ecuador: Guayaquil
24 Jul 1912 · 23 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.