Reviewed by USGSBolivia39y ago
M4.8 earthquake 116 km SSW of Uyuni, Bolivia
Monday, April 27, 1987, 15:53:09 UTC · 21.372°S, 67.379°W
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 116 km SSW of Uyuni, Bolivia on Monday, April 27, 1987, 15:53:09 UTC, at a depth of 205.0 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.5 on April 7, 1987.
- Magnitude
- 4.8
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 205 km
- Intermediate
- 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
239 tons of TNT
That is about 1/63 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
14 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: intermediate
205 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 50 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on May 5, 1987. 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 251 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.2121 km SSE of San Pedro de Atacama, ChileDecember 9, 1950 · 295 km S of this epicenter
- 7.751 km W of Atocha, BoliviaNovember 29, 1957 · 84 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.3136 km WSW of Challapata, BoliviaJune 6, 1915 · 246 km N of this epicenter
- 7.334 km NE of Tocopilla, ChileDecember 21, 1967 · 272 km W of this epicenter
- 7.278 km SW of Colchani, BoliviaOctober 4, 1910 · 73 km N of this epicenter
- 7.1136 km E of Iquique, ChileJune 14, 1959 · 188 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.069 km NW of Camargo, BoliviaMay 17, 1909 · 208 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.052 km W of Abra Pampa, ArgentinaApril 1, 1987 · 197 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 16 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 9 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1953M7.4
Northern
7 Dec 1953 · 159 km away
3 deaths$7 million damage
- 1970M4.6
Potosi
6 Mar 1970 · 276 km away
2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1967M7.5
Northern
21 Dec 1967 · 222 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1976M7.3
Pozo Almonte, Oficina Victoria, Arica
30 Nov 1976 · 186 km away · intensity VIII
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1959M7.5
Bolivia-Northern Chile
14 Jun 1959 · 129 km away
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1950M8.0
Chile-Argentina
9 Dec 1950 · 237 km away · intensity VII
1 death
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.