Reviewed by USGSPeru39y ago
M4.7 earthquake 98 km SW of Islay (Matarani), Peru
Thursday, April 14, 1988, 08:09:49 UTC · 17.547°S, 72.830°W
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 98 km SW of Islay (Matarani), Peru on Thursday, April 14, 1988, 08:09:49 UTC, at a depth of 48.2 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.9 on April 13, 1988.
- Magnitude
- 4.7
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 48 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
169 tons of TNT
That is about 1/89 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 3 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
55 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
48 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.6 on April 17, 1988. 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 142 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.737 km SSW of Atico, PeruAugust 6, 1913 · 148 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.235 km N of El Cardo, PeruOctober 11, 1922 · 141 km N of this epicenter
- 7.212 km NNE of Cono Norte, PeruFebruary 26, 1914 · 201 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.130 km SW of Islay (Matarani), PeruApril 12, 1988 · 68 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.021 km SW of Santa Rita de Siguas, PeruJanuary 15, 1958 · 120 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.924 km NNE of El Cardo, PeruFebruary 16, 1979 · 130 km N of this epicenter
- 6.882 km SW of Islay (Matarani), PeruJanuary 6, 1922 · 20 km E of this epicenter
- 6.7165 km SSW of Atiquipa, PeruJuly 28, 1913 · 232 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 34 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 26,391 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1868M8.5
Arica
13 Aug 1868 · 226 km away · intensity XI
25,000 deaths$300 million damagetsunami
- 1833M7.7
Peru: Tacna; Chile: Arica
18 Sep 1833 · 208 km away · intensity VIII
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1784M8.0
Arequipa,Camana,Moquegua,Tambo
13 May 1784 · 146 km away · intensity X
383 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1821
Camana, Ocona, Caraveli
10 Jul 1821 · 161 km away · intensity VIII
162 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1960M7.8
Arequipa,Chuquibamba,Caraveli,Cotahuasi
13 Jan 1960 · 200 km away · intensity X
63 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1914
Pararca,Paysa,Colta,Oyala
2 Dec 1914 · 264 km away · intensity X
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.