Reviewed by USGSPeru105y ago
M7.2 earthquake 35 km N of El Cardo, Peru
Wednesday, October 11, 1922, 14:49:57 UTC · 16.287°S, 72.705°W
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 35 km N of El Cardo, Peru on Wednesday, October 11, 1922, 14:49:57 UTC, at a depth of 75.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.7 on August 6, 1913.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 75 km
- Intermediate
- 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
985 kilotons of TNT
That is about 65 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2,065 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
175 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and Altiplano plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: intermediate
75 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
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:
- 7.737 km SSW of Atico, PeruAugust 6, 1913 · 114 km W of this epicenter
- 7.212 km NNE of Cono Norte, PeruFebruary 26, 1914 · 123 km E of this epicenter
- 6.913 km SSW of San Juan, PeruOctober 3, 1916 · 238 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.882 km SW of Islay (Matarani), PeruJanuary 6, 1922 · 139 km S of this epicenter
- 6.7165 km SSW of Atiquipa, PeruJuly 28, 1913 · 262 km W of this epicenter
- 6.7103 km SSW of Atico, PeruSeptember 13, 1919 · 166 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.512 km WNW of Cotaruse, PeruFebruary 28, 1920 · 222 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 23 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,589 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1833M7.7
Peru: Tacna; Chile: Arica
18 Sep 1833 · 283 km away · intensity VIII
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1784M8.0
Arequipa,Camana,Moquegua,Tambo
13 May 1784 · 79 km away · intensity X
383 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1821
Camana, Ocona, Caraveli
10 Jul 1821 · 34 km away · intensity VIII
162 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1707M5.8
Cuzco
17 Sep 1707 · 273 km away · intensity X
160 deaths
- 1913M6.3
Amyaraes, Abancay, Casaya, Soraya
4 Nov 1913 · 233 km away · intensity X
150 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1914
Pararca,Paysa,Colta,Oyala
2 Dec 1914 · 132 km away · intensity X
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.