Reviewed by USGSPeru75y ago
M6.3 earthquake 10 km NE of El Alto, Peru
Tuesday, January 15, 1952, 07:00:57 UTC · 4.207°S, 81.143°W
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck 10 km NE of El Alto, Peru on Tuesday, January 15, 1952, 07:00:57 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.6 on March 29, 1946.
- Magnitude
- 6.3
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (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
43 kilotons of TNT
That is about 3 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 89 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
92 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
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 100 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 18 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.115 km SSW of Huabal, PeruJuly 18, 1928 · 293 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.813 km ESE of Huangala, PeruJuly 24, 1912 · 105 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.846 km SW of Paján, EcuadorOctober 2, 1933 · 269 km N of this epicenter
- 6.661 km WSW of Jipijapa, EcuadorMarch 29, 1946 · 290 km N of this epicenter
- 6.3115 km SSW of Sechura, PeruDecember 27, 1925 · 255 km S of this epicenter
- 6.374 km WSW of Jipijapa, EcuadorFebruary 8, 1938 · 298 km N of this epicenter
- 6.334 km NNE of Las Pirias, PeruMay 15, 1928 · 295 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 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 · 193 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1912M7.0
Huancabamba,Cajamarca; Ecuador: Guayaquil
24 Jul 1912 · 177 km away · intensity X
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1943M6.9
Guayaquil
30 Jan 1943 · 245 km away · intensity VI
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1901M7.8
Esmeraldas
7 Jan 1901 · 263 km away
- 1928M7.0
Peru
18 Jul 1928 · 278 km away · intensity VI
tsunami
- 1933M6.9
Ecuador
2 Oct 1933 · 246 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.