Reviewed by USGSPeru30y ago
M4.0 earthquake 12 km ESE of San Juan, Peru
Wednesday, January 15, 1997, 04:06:39 UTC · 15.405°S, 75.049°W
A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck 12 km ESE of San Juan, Peru on Wednesday, January 15, 1997, 04:06:39 UTC, at a depth of 50.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 4.0
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 50 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
15 tons of TNT
That is about 1/998 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
51 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
50 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on February 9, 1997. 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 226 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.121 km NNE of Minas de Marcona, PeruAugust 24, 1942 · 41 km N of this epicenter
- 7.737 km SSW of Atico, PeruAugust 6, 1913 · 188 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.760 km SW of Changuillo, PeruNovember 12, 1996 · 81 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.235 km N of El Cardo, PeruOctober 11, 1922 · 269 km E of this epicenter
- 7.121 km SSE of Nazca, PeruJanuary 15, 1960 · 48 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.924 km NNE of El Cardo, PeruFebruary 16, 1979 · 278 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.913 km SSW of San Juan, PeruOctober 3, 1916 · 110 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.7165 km SSW of Atiquipa, PeruJuly 28, 1913 · 196 km S of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 29 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 544 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1821
Camana, Ocona, Caraveli
10 Jul 1821 · 236 km away · intensity VIII
162 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1913M6.3
Amyaraes, Abancay, Casaya, Soraya
4 Nov 1913 · 267 km away · intensity X
150 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1960M7.8
Arequipa,Chuquibamba,Caraveli,Cotahuasi
13 Jan 1960 · 249 km away · intensity X
63 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1914
Pararca,Paysa,Colta,Oyala
2 Dec 1914 · 200 km away · intensity X
34 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1813
Ica
30 Mar 1813 · 150 km away · intensity VII
32 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1942M8.2
Ica, Nazca
24 Aug 1942 · 112 km away · intensity IX
30 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.