Reviewed by USGSPeru7y ago
M5.5 earthquake 117 km WSW of Puerto Casma, Peru
Sunday, March 31, 2019, 15:27:57 UTC · 9.967°S, 79.323°W
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 117 km WSW of Puerto Casma, Peru on Sunday, March 31, 2019, 15:27:57 UTC, at a depth of 29.0 km (shallow). USGS received 2 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of II (weak). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on April 26, 2015.
- Magnitude
- 5.5
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 29 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 2
- Max intensity II
- Est. shaking
- III
- Weak (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- 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
3 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/6 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 6 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
97 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
29 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
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chimbote, Ancash, Peru | II · Weak | 1 | 130 km |
| Trujillo, La Libertad, Peru | II · Weak | 1 | 209 km |
USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level green: low likelihood of casualties and damage.
- III · Weak shaking
- 368,000 people
Estimated shaking in nearby towns
- SamancoPopulation 0III · Weak
- ChimbotePopulation 317,000III · Weak
- Buenos AiresPopulation 0III · Weak
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 166 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.221 km SE of Huacho, PeruMay 24, 1940 · 249 km SE of this epicenter
- 8.167 km W of Paramonga, PeruOctober 17, 1966 · 126 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.934 km SW of Chimbote, PeruMay 31, 1970 · 94 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.5123 km WSW of Puerto Santa, PeruFebruary 21, 1996 · 51 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.155 km SW of Santiago de Cao, PeruJune 21, 1937 · 191 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0179 km WSW of Huarmey, PeruSeptember 3, 1967 · 85 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.928 km W of Paramonga, PeruSeptember 24, 1963 · 155 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.86 km SSW of Quiches, PeruNovember 10, 1946 · 260 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 69,434 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1970M7.9
Northern, Pisco, Chiclayo
31 May 1970 · 103 km away · intensity X
66,794 deaths$530 million damagetsunami
- 1725M7.7
Trujillo, Ancash, Lima
7 Jan 1725 · 113 km away · intensity IX
1,500 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1946M7.3
Jocaibamba,Cerro Angaschaj,Cerro Sillapata
10 Nov 1946 · 258 km away · intensity XI
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1940M8.2
Peru
24 May 1940 · 261 km away · intensity X
179 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1966M8.1
Lima,Huacho,Huaura, Chancay,Supe,San Nicolas
17 Oct 1966 · 115 km away · intensity IX
110 deaths$35 million damagetsunami
- 1828M8.3
Lima, Callao
30 Mar 1828 · 292 km away · intensity VII
30 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.