Reviewed by USGSPeru52y ago
M7.2 earthquake 87 km SW of Callao, Peru
Saturday, November 9, 1974, 12:59:49 UTC · 12.500°S, 77.786°W
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 87 km SW of Callao, Peru on Saturday, November 9, 1974, 12:59:49 UTC, at a depth of 6.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.6 on October 3, 1974.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · ms
- Depth
- 6 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 kilotons of TNT
That is about 63 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,995 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
88 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
6 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 200 km
USGS lists 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.4 on November 14, 1974. 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 44 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 · 148 km N of this epicenter
- 8.167 km W of Paramonga, PeruOctober 17, 1966 · 212 km N of this epicenter
- 7.677 km WSW of Callao, PeruOctober 3, 1974 · 26 km N of this epicenter
- 7.0179 km WSW of Huarmey, PeruSeptember 3, 1967 · 293 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.928 km W of Paramonga, PeruSeptember 24, 1963 · 209 km N of this epicenter
- 6.710 km SSW of Huacho, PeruMay 24, 1940 · 146 km N of this epicenter
- 6.3144 km W of Paracas, PeruApril 6, 1922 · 178 km S of this epicenter
- 6.35 km SSW of Mariatana, PeruJanuary 5, 1974 · 157 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 32 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 6,377 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1746M8.0
Lima, Callao
29 Oct 1746 · 85 km away · intensity XI
5,941 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1940M8.2
Peru
24 May 1940 · 238 km away · intensity X
179 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1966M8.1
Lima,Huacho,Huaura, Chancay,Supe,San Nicolas
17 Oct 1966 · 216 km away · intensity IX
110 deaths$35 million damagetsunami
- 1974M8.1
Lima, Callao
3 Oct 1974 · 26 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
- 1937M6.5
Huancabamba,Oxapampa,El Progreso,San David
24 Dec 1937 · 246 km away · intensity X
15 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.