Reviewed by USGSArgentina20y ago
M4.6 earthquake 81 km WNW of San Antonio de los Cobres, Argentina
Monday, January 8, 2007, 03:55:39 UTC · 24.030°S, 67.094°W
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 81 km WNW of San Antonio de los Cobres, Argentina on Monday, January 8, 2007, 03:55:39 UTC, at a depth of 149.4 km (intermediate). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.7 on December 23, 2006.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 149 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
280 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Altiplano and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: intermediate
149 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 lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 on January 16, 2007. 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 413 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.2121 km SSE of San Pedro de Atacama, ChileDecember 9, 1950 · 83 km W of this epicenter
- 7.275 km N of San Antonio de los Cobres, ArgentinaMay 12, 2000 · 84 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.116 km NW of Villazón, BoliviaJanuary 23, 1997 · 266 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.087 km W of Abra Pampa, ArgentinaMay 24, 1993 · 161 km N of this epicenter
- 7.052 km W of Abra Pampa, ArgentinaApril 1, 1987 · 167 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.930 km SSE of Santa Clara, ArgentinaAugust 25, 1948 · 267 km E of this epicenter
- 6.999 km WNW of San Antonio de los Cobres, ArgentinaFebruary 21, 1971 · 29 km N of this epicenter
- 6.881 km WSW of Calama, ChileDecember 23, 1916 · 296 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 12 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 37 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1930M6.1
La Poma
24 Dec 1930 · 207 km away · intensity VIII
31 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1953M7.4
Northern
7 Dec 1953 · 270 km away
3 deaths$7 million damage
- 1936M7.3
Taltal
13 Jul 1936 · 299 km away
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1971M6.3
Catalina, Antofagasta
17 Jun 1971 · 268 km away · intensity V
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1950M8.0
Chile-Argentina
9 Dec 1950 · 72 km away · intensity VII
1 death
- 1844M6.5
Salta, Jujuy, Tucuman
19 Oct 1844 · 155 km away · intensity VII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.