Reviewed by USGSPeru39y ago
M5.6 earthquake 55 km SSW of Islay (Matarani), Peru
Sunday, April 17, 1988, 02:50:37 UTC · 17.420°S, 72.387°W
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 55 km SSW of Islay (Matarani), Peru on Sunday, April 17, 1988, 02:50:37 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on April 13, 1988.
- Magnitude
- 5.6
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 33 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
4 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/4 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 8 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
96 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
33 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.0 on April 21, 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 156 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 · 174 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.235 km N of El Cardo, PeruOctober 11, 1922 · 130 km N of this epicenter
- 7.212 km NNE of Cono Norte, PeruFebruary 26, 1914 · 161 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.130 km SW of Islay (Matarani), PeruApril 12, 1988 · 27 km N of this epicenter
- 7.021 km SW of Santa Rita de Siguas, PeruJanuary 15, 1958 · 90 km N of this epicenter
- 6.925 km ENE of Arica, ChileAugust 30, 1906 · 264 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.924 km NNE of El Cardo, PeruFebruary 16, 1979 · 118 km N of this epicenter
- 6.882 km SW of Islay (Matarani), PeruJanuary 6, 1922 · 30 km SW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 36 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 · 197 km away · intensity XI
25,000 deaths$300 million damagetsunami
- 1833M7.7
Peru: Tacna; Chile: Arica
18 Sep 1833 · 173 km away · intensity VIII
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1784M8.0
Arequipa,Camana,Moquegua,Tambo
13 May 1784 · 110 km away · intensity X
383 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1821
Camana, Ocona, Caraveli
10 Jul 1821 · 159 km away · intensity VIII
162 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1960M7.8
Arequipa,Chuquibamba,Caraveli,Cotahuasi
13 Jan 1960 · 190 km away · intensity X
63 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1914
Pararca,Paysa,Colta,Oyala
2 Dec 1914 · 262 km away · intensity X
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.