Peru earthquakes

M7.2 earthquake 9 km ENE of Papayal, Peru

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 9 km ENE of Papayal, Peru on Wed, Dec 9, 1970, 11:34 PM GMT-5 (04:34 UTC), 19 km (12 mi) below the surface.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 7.2 (Mw, moment), major
Magnitude from: ISC-GEM global catalog
Local time: Wed, Dec 9, 1970, 11:34 PM GMT-5
UTC: 1970-12-10 04:34:40 UTC
Depth: 19.2 km (11.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 4.044° S, 80.661° W
Region: Peru
Strongest shaking: IX, violent shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Deaths and damage

From NOAA NCEI’s Significant Earthquake Database (record 4551), matched to this event by time and place.

Deaths: 82
Injuries: 350
Damage: $6 million

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA’s full record of this earthquake

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: IX, violent shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 79.5% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 4.3 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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: ±0.30
Depth from: From location

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 4.2 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

Earthquakes today Peru earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem789028 (also filed as atlas19701210043438). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 4:16 AM UTC.