Reviewed by USGSPeru19y ago
M5.6 earthquake 53 km WNW of Pisco, Peru
Friday, December 7, 2007, 01:41:01 UTC · 13.516°S, 76.656°W
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 53 km WNW of Pisco, Peru on Friday, December 7, 2007, 01:41:01 UTC, at a depth of 22.3 km (shallow). USGS received 56 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of IV (light). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on August 19, 2007.
- Magnitude
- 5.6
- Moderate · mwc
- Depth
- 22 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 56
- Max intensity IV
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
4 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/4 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 8 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
108 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: shallow
22 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
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lima, Lima Provincias, Peru | III · Weak | 44 | 167 km |
| Pisco, Ica, Peru | II · Weak | 7 | 56 km |
| Pachacamac, Lima y Callao, Peru | III · Weak | 2 | 144 km |
| Chincha Alta, Ica, Peru | III · Weak | 2 | 61 km |
| San Vicente de Cañete, Lima Provincias, Peru | IV · Light | 1 | 59 km |
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 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 249 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.221 km SE of Huacho, PeruMay 24, 1940 · 269 km N of this epicenter
- 8.121 km NNE of Minas de Marcona, PeruAugust 24, 1942 · 244 km SE of this epicenter
- 8.041 km SW of San Vicente de Cañete, PeruAugust 15, 2007 · 16 km N of this epicenter
- 7.760 km SW of Changuillo, PeruNovember 12, 1996 · 195 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.677 km WSW of Callao, PeruOctober 3, 1974 · 186 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.287 km SW of Callao, PeruNovember 9, 1974 · 167 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.121 km SSE of Nazca, PeruJanuary 15, 1960 · 254 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.913 km SSW of San Juan, PeruOctober 3, 1916 · 293 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 42 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 6,915 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1746M8.0
Lima, Callao
29 Oct 1746 · 179 km away · intensity XI
5,941 deathsExtreme damage ($25M+)tsunami
- 2007M8.0
Ica, Pisco, Lima
15 Aug 2007 · 16 km away · intensity VIII
596 deaths$600 million damagetsunami
- 1969M6.6
Huaytapallana, Lampa, Chilifruta
1 Oct 1969 · 255 km away · intensity XI
130 deaths$5 million damage
- 1974M8.1
Lima, Callao
3 Oct 1974 · 185 km away · intensity IX
78 deaths$10 million damagetsunami
- 1813
Ica
30 Mar 1813 · 150 km away · intensity VII
32 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1942M8.2
Ica, Nazca
24 Aug 1942 · 180 km away · intensity IX
30 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.