Reviewed by USGSArgentina41y ago
M6.4 earthquake 30 km SSE of Londres, Argentina
Monday, June 10, 1985, 15:37:00 UTC · 27.958°S, 66.995°W
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 30 km SSE of Londres, Argentina on Monday, June 10, 1985, 15:37:00 UTC, at a depth of 151.4 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.4 on November 29, 1943.
- Magnitude
- 6.4
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 151 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- 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
60 kilotons of TNT
That is about 4 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 126 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
484 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: intermediate
151 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 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 72 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.594 km ENE of Vallenar, ChileNovember 11, 1922 · 283 km W of this epicenter
- 7.032 km NW of Fiambalá, ArgentinaAugust 3, 1920 · 101 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.410 km WNW of Tinogasta, ArgentinaNovember 29, 1943 · 67 km W of this epicenter
- 6.485 km SW of Antofagasta de la Sierra, ArgentinaDecember 4, 1918 · 165 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.1115 km ESE of Vallenar, ChileJuly 19, 1980 · 286 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.027 km ESE of Burruyacú, ArgentinaApril 3, 1931 · 288 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.042 km ENE of Cafayate, ArgentinaSeptember 23, 1930 · 268 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.069 km NW of Vinchina, ArgentinaMay 18, 1971 · 181 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 711 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1922M8.5
Atacama
11 Nov 1922 · 283 km away · intensity XI
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1899
La Rioja
12 Apr 1899 · 158 km away · intensity VIII
11 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1817
Santiago Del Estero Province
4 Jul 1817 · 245 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1898
Catamarca
5 Feb 1898 · 99 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1892
Catamarca
21 Mar 1892 · 259 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.