Reviewed by USGSArgentina32y ago
M6.9 earthquake 18 km NW of Colonia Dora, Argentina
Tuesday, May 10, 1994, 06:36:28 UTC · 28.501°S, 63.096°W
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck 18 km NW of Colonia Dora, Argentina on Tuesday, May 10, 1994, 06:36:28 UTC, at a depth of 600.5 km (deep). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.9 on April 29, 1994.
- Magnitude
- 6.9
- Strong · mwb
- Depth
- 601 km
- Deep
- 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
338 kilotons of TNT
That is about 22 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 708 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
790 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: deep
601 km
Deep earthquakes (over 300 km) happen deep inside subducting plates. They rarely cause damage, but can be felt faintly over very large distances.
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 35 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.331 km SE of Villa Atamisqui, ArgentinaDecember 7, 1912 · 48 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.327 km NNW of El Hoyo, ArgentinaJune 23, 1991 · 191 km N of this epicenter
- 7.144 km WNW of Quimilí, ArgentinaAugust 14, 1950 · 113 km N of this epicenter
- 7.148 km NNW of Suncho Corral, ArgentinaJune 21, 1916 · 119 km N of this epicenter
- 6.944 km SSE of Suncho Corral, ArgentinaApril 29, 1994 · 27 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.938 km SE of Suncho Corral, ArgentinaDecember 21, 1983 · 35 km N of this epicenter
- 6.739 km NNE of Suncho Corral, ArgentinaSeptember 9, 1967 · 99 km N of this epicenter
- 6.523 km WSW of Colonia Dora, ArgentinaOctober 31, 1985 · 22 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1908M6.5
Cordoba
22 Sep 1908 · 261 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1817
Santiago Del Estero Province
4 Jul 1817 · 148 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1826
Candelaria, Trancas, Zarate, El Tala
19 Jan 1826 · 269 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1898
Catamarca
5 Feb 1898 · 299 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1892
Catamarca
21 Mar 1892 · 216 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)
- 1912M7.5
Santiago Del Estero Province
7 Dec 1912 · 80 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.