M5.4 earthquake 59 km WSW of Atiquipa, Peru

Monday, July 8, 2024, 19:33:26 UTC · 15.958°S, 74.895°W

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 59 km WSW of Atiquipa, Peru on Monday, July 8, 2024, 19:33:26 UTC, at a depth of 13.5 km (shallow). USGS received 2 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IV (light). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.4 on June 29, 2024.

Magnitude: 5.4; Moderate · mww
Depth: 13 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 2; Max intensity IV
Est. shaking: IV; Light (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: Green; Impact estimate
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

2 kilotons of TNT

That is about 1/8 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 4 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

58 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and Altiplano plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

13 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
Acarí, Arequipa, Peru	IV · Light	1	66 km
Ica, Ica, Peru	II · Weak	1	229 km

I felt it — report to USGS ↗

USGS PAGER estimate

Who was exposed to shaking

Modelled from the ShakeMap and population data. Alert level green: low likelihood of casualties and damage.

IV · Light shaking: 33,000 people
III · Weak shaking: 205,000 people
II · Weak shaking: 62,000 people

Estimated shaking in nearby towns

LomasPopulation 0IV · Light
YaucaPopulation 0IV · Light
San Juan de MarconaPopulation 0IV · Light
AcariPopulation 4,400IV · Light
ChalaPopulation 0IV · Light
AtiquipaPopulation 0IV · Light
Minas de MarconaPopulation 15,000IV · Light
NazcaPopulation 24,000III · Weak

After the main event

Aftershocks within 75 km

USGS lists 7 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.8 on July 12, 2024. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 484 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 38 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 663 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1821
Camana, Ocona, Caraveli
10 Jul 1821 · 207 km away · intensity VIII
162 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
1913M6.3
Amyaraes, Abancay, Casaya, Soraya
4 Nov 1913 · 290 km away · intensity X
150 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
2001M8.4
Arequipa, Moquegua, Tacna, Ayacucho
23 Jun 2001 · 138 km away · intensity VIII
103 deaths$200 million damagetsunami
1960M7.8
Arequipa,Chuquibamba,Caraveli,Cotahuasi
13 Jan 1960 · 231 km away · intensity X
63 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1914
Pararca,Paysa,Colta,Oyala
2 Dec 1914 · 200 km away · intensity X
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
1813
Ica
30 Mar 1813 · 214 km away · intensity VII
32 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers