Reviewed by USGSPeru2y ago
M4.6 earthquake 32 km WSW of Atiquipa, Peru
Saturday, July 13, 2024, 03:35:42 UTC · 15.924°S, 74.640°W
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 32 km WSW of Atiquipa, Peru on Saturday, July 13, 2024, 03:35:42 UTC, at a depth of 29.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.8 on July 12, 2024.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 29 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
78 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
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
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 50 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.3 on August 3, 2024. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 522 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.46 km SSW of Atico, PeruJune 23, 2001 · 113 km E of this epicenter
- 8.121 km NNE of Minas de Marcona, PeruAugust 24, 1942 · 106 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.737 km SSW of Atico, PeruAugust 6, 1913 · 118 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.760 km SW of Changuillo, PeruNovember 12, 1996 · 152 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.235 km N of El Cardo, PeruOctober 11, 1922 · 211 km E of this epicenter
- 7.210 km WSW of Atiquipa, PeruJune 28, 2024 · 23 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.121 km SSE of Nazca, PeruJanuary 15, 1960 · 105 km N of this epicenter
- 7.130 km SW of Islay (Matarani), PeruApril 12, 1988 · 286 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 41 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 1,059 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1784M8.0
Arequipa,Camana,Moquegua,Tambo
13 May 1784 · 289 km away · intensity X
383 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1821
Camana, Ocona, Caraveli
10 Jul 1821 · 180 km away · intensity VIII
162 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1913M6.3
Amyaraes, Abancay, Casaya, Soraya
4 Nov 1913 · 268 km away · intensity X
150 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 2001M8.4
Arequipa, Moquegua, Tacna, Ayacucho
23 Jun 2001 · 113 km away · intensity VIII
103 deaths$200 million damagetsunami
- 1960M7.8
Arequipa,Chuquibamba,Caraveli,Cotahuasi
13 Jan 1960 · 203 km away · intensity X
63 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1914
Pararca,Paysa,Colta,Oyala
2 Dec 1914 · 174 km away · intensity X
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.