Reviewed by USGSArgentina22y ago
M3.5 earthquake 41 km NW of Mutquín, Argentina
Sunday, October 3, 2004, 13:43:10 UTC · 28.045°S, 66.427°W
A magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck 41 km NW of Mutquín, Argentina on Sunday, October 3, 2004, 13:43:10 UTC, at a depth of 161.9 km (intermediate).
- Magnitude
- 3.5
- Minor · mb
- Depth
- 162 km
- Intermediate
- 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
3 tons of TNT
That is about 1/5,615 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 178 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
540 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: intermediate
162 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 108 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 · 290 km E of this epicenter
- 7.148 km NNW of Suncho Corral, ArgentinaJune 21, 1916 · 290 km E of this epicenter
- 7.032 km NW of Fiambalá, ArgentinaAugust 3, 1920 · 155 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.410 km WNW of Tinogasta, ArgentinaNovember 29, 1943 · 122 km W of this epicenter
- 6.485 km SW of Antofagasta de la Sierra, ArgentinaDecember 4, 1918 · 208 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.412 km SSW of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, ArgentinaSeptember 7, 2004 · 82 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.430 km SSE of Londres, ArgentinaJune 10, 1985 · 57 km W of this epicenter
- 6.027 km ESE of Burruyacú, ArgentinaApril 3, 1931 · 247 km NE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 12 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1899
La Rioja
12 Apr 1899 · 204 km away · intensity VIII
11 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 2004M6.1
Catamarca
7 Sep 2004 · 82 km away
1 deathLimited damage (under $1M)
- 2002M6.0
Aminga, Anillaco, Agua Blanca, Chuquis
28 May 2002 · 106 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1817
Santiago Del Estero Province
4 Jul 1817 · 189 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1898
Catamarca
5 Feb 1898 · 53 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1892
Catamarca
21 Mar 1892 · 213 km away · intensity VII
Limited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.