Reviewed by USGSPeru52y ago
M5.3 earthquake 68 km SW of Callao, Peru
Thursday, October 10, 1974, 19:52:59 UTC · 12.444°S, 77.606°W
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 68 km SW of Callao, Peru on Thursday, October 10, 1974, 19:52:59 UTC, at a depth of 27.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on October 3, 1974.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 27 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: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/11 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
107 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
27 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 75 km
USGS lists 6 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M7.2 on November 9, 1974. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 7.287 km SW of Callao, Peru52y ago · 21 km W of this epicenter
- 4.996 km WSW of Callao, Peru52y ago · 30 km W of this epicenter
- 4.554 km SW of Santiago de Surco, Peru52y ago · 34 km E of this epicenter
- 4.045 km WSW of San Bartolo, Peru52y ago · 50 km E of this epicenter
- 4.244 km WSW of Chilca, Peru52y ago · 56 km E of this epicenter
- 4.8101 km WSW of Chilca, Peru52y ago · 62 km S of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 50 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 · 138 km N of this epicenter
- 8.167 km W of Paramonga, PeruOctober 17, 1966 · 214 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.677 km WSW of Callao, PeruOctober 3, 1974 · 29 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.928 km W of Paramonga, PeruSeptember 24, 1963 · 207 km N of this epicenter
- 6.710 km SSW of Huacho, PeruMay 24, 1940 · 139 km N of this epicenter
- 6.616 km S of Comas, PeruOctober 1, 1969 · 280 km E of this epicenter
- 6.518 km WSW of Oxapampa, PeruDecember 24, 1937 · 300 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.3144 km W of Paracas, PeruApril 6, 1922 · 183 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 33 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 6,507 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1746M8.0
Lima, Callao
29 Oct 1746 · 67 km away · intensity XI
5,941 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1940M8.2
Peru
24 May 1940 · 226 km away · intensity X
179 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1969M6.6
Huaytapallana, Lampa, Chilifruta
1 Oct 1969 · 286 km away · intensity XI
130 deaths$5 million damage
- 1966M8.1
Lima,Huacho,Huaura, Chancay,Supe,San Nicolas
17 Oct 1966 · 220 km away · intensity IX
110 deaths$35 million damagetsunami
- 1974M8.1
Lima, Callao
3 Oct 1974 · 28 km away · intensity IX
78 deaths$10 million damagetsunami
- 1828M8.3
Lima, Callao
30 Mar 1828 · 41 km away · intensity VII
30 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.