M7.7 earthquake 60 km SW of Changuillo, Peru

Tuesday, November 12, 1996, 16:59:44 UTC · 14.993°S, 75.675°W

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck 60 km SW of Changuillo, Peru on Tuesday, November 12, 1996, 16:59:44 UTC, at a depth of 33.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M8.1 on August 24, 1942.

Magnitude: 7.7; Major · mwc
Depth: 33 km; Shallow
Felt reports: 0; Did You Feel It?
Est. shaking: VII; Very strong (ShakeMap)
PAGER alert: None; Not issued
Tsunami: No flag; USGS feed

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

5.4 megatons of TNT

That is about 355 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 11,220 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.

Tectonic setting

30 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American 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 200 km

USGS lists 72 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.1 on November 13, 1996. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 182 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 25 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 158 recorded deaths. The most severe:

1914
Pararca,Paysa,Colta,Oyala
2 Dec 1914 · 267 km away · intensity X
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
1813
Ica
30 Mar 1813 · 104 km away · intensity VII
32 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
1942M8.2
Ica, Nazca
24 Aug 1942 · 35 km away · intensity IX
30 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
1996M7.7
Chincha Alta, Acari, Nazca, Marcona
12 Nov 1996 · 0 km away · intensity VIII
14 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
1981M5.2
Central
22 Jun 1981 · 238 km away
10 deaths$5 million damage
1981M4.8
Ayacucho
18 Apr 1981 · 249 km away
8 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers