Reviewed by USGSPeru67y ago
M5.9 earthquake 25 km W of San Juan, Peru
Sunday, January 17, 1960, 02:57:49 UTC · 15.326°S, 75.396°W
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 25 km W of San Juan, Peru on Sunday, January 17, 1960, 02:57:49 UTC, at a depth of 45.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.1 on January 15, 1960.
- Magnitude
- 5.9
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 45 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
10 kilotons of TNT
That is about the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 22 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
16 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
45 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 37 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.121 km NNE of Minas de Marcona, PeruAugust 24, 1942 · 51 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.737 km SSW of Atico, PeruAugust 6, 1913 · 222 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.121 km SSE of Nazca, PeruJanuary 15, 1960 · 67 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.913 km SSW of San Juan, PeruOctober 3, 1916 · 136 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.7165 km SSW of Atiquipa, PeruJuly 28, 1913 · 209 km S of this epicenter
- 6.7103 km SSW of Atico, PeruSeptember 13, 1919 · 241 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.652 km SSE of Atico, PeruAugust 7, 1944 · 253 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.691 km SSW of Santiago, PeruJune 25, 1930 · 82 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 22 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 486 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1821
Camana, Ocona, Caraveli
10 Jul 1821 · 274 km away · intensity VIII
162 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1913M6.3
Amyaraes, Abancay, Casaya, Soraya
4 Nov 1913 · 296 km away · intensity X
150 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1960M7.8
Arequipa,Chuquibamba,Caraveli,Cotahuasi
13 Jan 1960 · 287 km away · intensity X
63 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1914
Pararca,Paysa,Colta,Oyala
2 Dec 1914 · 236 km away · intensity X
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1813
Ica
30 Mar 1813 · 136 km away · intensity VII
32 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1942M8.2
Ica, Nazca
24 Aug 1942 · 74 km away · intensity IX
30 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.