Reviewed by USGSEcuador31y ago
M4.8 earthquake 56 km SE of Sucúa, Ecuador
Monday, October 23, 1995, 00:42:10 UTC · 2.802°S, 77.796°W
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 56 km SE of Sucúa, Ecuador on Monday, October 23, 1995, 00:42:10 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on October 21, 1995.
- Magnitude
- 4.8
- Light · mb
- 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
239 tons of TNT
That is about 1/63 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
155 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North Andes and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
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 50 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.1 on November 14, 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 143 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.516 km W of Barranca, PeruSeptember 28, 1906 · 248 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.498 km ESE of Sucúa, EcuadorJuly 27, 1971 · 47 km E of this epicenter
- 7.045 km SE of Sucúa, EcuadorOctober 3, 1995 · 11 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.092 km NNE of La Peca, PeruApril 12, 1983 · 229 km S of this epicenter
- 6.8109 km W of Alianza Cristiana, PeruNovember 23, 1986 · 74 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.764 km WSW of Alianza Cristiana, PeruMay 2, 1995 · 147 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.737 km E of Palora, EcuadorMay 17, 1971 · 131 km N of this epicenter
- 6.655 km ENE of Macas, EcuadorMay 10, 1963 · 71 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 23 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 47,074 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1797M8.3
Riobamba, Quito, Cuzco; Peru; Colombia
4 Feb 1797 · 162 km away · intensity XI
40,000 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 1949M6.5
Tungurahua
5 Aug 1949 · 183 km away
6,000 deaths$8 million damage
- 1757M7.0
Cotopaxi,Tungurahua, Latacunga
22 Feb 1757 · 230 km away · intensity IX
1,000 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1924M6.9
Ecuador
3 Mar 1924 · 161 km away
40 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1960
Ecuador
30 Jul 1960 · 197 km away
11 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
- 1983M6.5
Chimbote
12 Apr 1983 · 229 km away
10 deathsUnder $1 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.