Reviewed by USGSArgentina115y ago
M7.3 earthquake 31 km SE of Villa Atamisqui, Argentina
Saturday, December 7, 1912, 22:46:50 UTC · 28.667°S, 63.554°W
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck 31 km SE of Villa Atamisqui, Argentina on Saturday, December 7, 1912, 22:46:50 UTC, at a depth of 620.0 km (deep). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.3
- Major · mB
- Depth
- 620 km
- Deep
- 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
1.3 megatons of TNT
That is about 89 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2,818 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
805 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: deep
620 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
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 no earlier M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km.
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. The most severe:
- 1908M6.5
Cordoba
22 Sep 1908 · 223 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1817
Santiago Del Estero Province
4 Jul 1817 · 119 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1898
Catamarca
5 Feb 1898 · 255 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1892
Catamarca
21 Mar 1892 · 168 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1912M7.5
Santiago Del Estero Province
7 Dec 1912 · 109 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.