Reviewed by USGSPeru31y ago
M6.5 earthquake 81 km W of Paramonga, Peru
Saturday, September 23, 1995, 22:31:56 UTC · 10.680°S, 78.581°W
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 81 km W of Paramonga, Peru on Saturday, September 23, 1995, 22:31:56 UTC, at a depth of 59.9 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on November 9, 1974.
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Strong · mwb
- Depth
- 60 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
85 kilotons of TNT
That is about 6 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 178 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
131 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: shallow
60 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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.7 on September 24, 1995. 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 134 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.221 km SE of Huacho, PeruMay 24, 1940 · 138 km SE of this epicenter
- 8.167 km W of Paramonga, PeruOctober 17, 1966 · 15 km E of this epicenter
- 7.934 km SW of Chimbote, PeruMay 31, 1970 · 160 km N of this epicenter
- 7.677 km WSW of Callao, PeruOctober 3, 1974 · 196 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.287 km SW of Callao, PeruNovember 9, 1974 · 220 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.155 km SW of Santiago de Cao, PeruJune 21, 1937 · 291 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.0179 km WSW of Huarmey, PeruSeptember 3, 1967 · 121 km W of this epicenter
- 6.928 km W of Paramonga, PeruSeptember 24, 1963 · 54 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 30 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 75,467 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1970M7.9
Northern, Pisco, Chiclayo
31 May 1970 · 166 km away · intensity X
66,794 deaths$530 million damagetsunami
- 1746M8.0
Lima, Callao
29 Oct 1746 · 210 km away · intensity XI
5,941 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1725M7.7
Trujillo, Ancash, Lima
7 Jan 1725 · 192 km away · intensity IX
1,500 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1946M7.3
Jocaibamba,Cerro Angaschaj,Cerro Sillapata
10 Nov 1946 · 270 km away · intensity XI
800 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1940M8.2
Peru
24 May 1940 · 174 km away · intensity X
179 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1966M8.1
Lima,Huacho,Huaura, Chancay,Supe,San Nicolas
17 Oct 1966 · 10 km away · intensity IX
110 deaths$35 million damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.