M6.8 earthquake 24 km NNE of Esmeraldas, Ecuador
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 24 km NNE of Esmeraldas, Ecuador on Sun, Jan 19, 1958, 9:43 AM GMT-5 (14:43 UTC), 28 km (17 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.9 51 km NW of Valdez, Ecuador. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (mw), strong
- Local time
- UTC
- 1958-01-19 14:43:30 UTC
- Depth
- 27.5 km (17.1 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 1.153° N, 79.543° W
- Region
- Ecuador
- Strongest shaking
- VII, very strong shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- VII, very strong shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 26.1% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 2.9 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.34
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 6.951 km NW of Valdez, Ecuador · 25070 days ago · 15 km deep · 49 km away
- 6.348 km NW of Valdez, Ecuador · 25070 days ago · 25 km deep · 51 km away
- 6.328 km NW of Valdez, Ecuador · 25070 days ago · 25 km deep · 55 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayEcuador earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem883714. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:33 PM UTC.