Reviewed by USGSPeru38y ago
M5.0 earthquake 68 km SSW of Islay (Matarani), Peru
Thursday, April 21, 1988, 08:48:15 UTC · 17.575°S, 72.324°W
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 68 km SSW of Islay (Matarani), Peru on Thursday, April 21, 1988, 08:48:15 UTC, at a depth of 52.3 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on April 17, 1988.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 52 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
87 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
52 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
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 · 190 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.235 km N of El Cardo, PeruOctober 11, 1922 · 149 km N of this epicenter
- 7.212 km NNE of Cono Norte, PeruFebruary 26, 1914 · 173 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.268 km SSE of Arica, ChileAugust 8, 1987 · 294 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.130 km SW of Islay (Matarani), PeruApril 12, 1988 · 43 km N of this epicenter
- 7.021 km SW of Santa Rita de Siguas, PeruJanuary 15, 1958 · 106 km N of this epicenter
- 6.925 km ENE of Arica, ChileAugust 30, 1906 · 252 km E of this epicenter
- 6.924 km NNE of El Cardo, PeruFebruary 16, 1979 · 136 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 38 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 26,396 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1868M8.5
Arica
13 Aug 1868 · 180 km away · intensity XI
25,000 deaths$300 million damagetsunami
- 1833M7.7
Peru: Tacna; Chile: Arica
18 Sep 1833 · 158 km away · intensity VIII
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1784M8.0
Arequipa,Camana,Moquegua,Tambo
13 May 1784 · 124 km away · intensity X
383 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1821
Camana, Ocona, Caraveli
10 Jul 1821 · 177 km away · intensity VIII
162 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1960M7.8
Arequipa,Chuquibamba,Caraveli,Cotahuasi
13 Jan 1960 · 208 km away · intensity X
63 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1914
Pararca,Paysa,Colta,Oyala
2 Dec 1914 · 280 km away · intensity X
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.