Reviewed by USGS5y ago
M6.7 earthquake southern East Pacific Rise
Wednesday, May 19, 2021, 00:42:19 UTC · 33.065°S, 109.394°W
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck southern East Pacific Rise on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, 00:42:19 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.0 on October 9, 2014.
- Magnitude
- 6.7
- Strong · mww
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Max intensity I
- Est. shaking
- —
- No 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
169 kilotons of TNT
That is about 11 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 355 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
6 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Juan Fernandez and Nazca plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
10 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 populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.
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 130 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.0southern East Pacific RiseOctober 9, 2014 · 170 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.9Easter Island regionDecember 19, 1925 · 215 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.6southern East Pacific RiseOctober 9, 2014 · 175 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.4southern East Pacific RiseJuly 25, 1949 · 289 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3southern East Pacific RiseMarch 7, 1940 · 57 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3southern East Pacific RiseNovember 16, 1962 · 164 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.3southern East Pacific RiseJuly 9, 1950 · 193 km W of this epicenter
- 6.2Easter Island regionOctober 12, 1964 · 240 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 1 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 2014M7.0
Easter Island Region
9 Oct 2014 · 170 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.