Peru earthquakes

M5.4 earthquake 12 km NW of Papayal, Peru

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck 12 km NW of Papayal, Peru on Thu, Dec 10, 1970, 12:32 AM GMT-5 (05:32 UTC), 38 km (23 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.6 6 km ENE of Máncora, Peru. This one was a foreshock.

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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
5.4 (mw), moderate
Local time
UTC
1970-12-10 05:32:51 UTC
Depth
37.5 km (23.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
3.991° S, 80.813° W
Region
Peru
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

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
±0.23
Depth from
From location

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.4 and up: 14 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.116 km WNW of Cañaveral, Peru · 20376 days ago · 35 km deep · 11 km away
  2. 5.114 km N of El Alto, Peru · 20376 days ago · 37 km deep · 49 km away
  3. 5.66 km ENE of Máncora, Peru · 20375 days ago · 36 km deep · 22 km away
  4. 5.220 km NE of Máncora, Peru · 20375 days ago · 32 km deep · 10 km away
  5. 5.76 km WSW of Papayal, Peru · 20374 days ago · 35 km deep · 13 km away
  6. 5.212 km NW of Papayal, Peru · 20373 days ago · 40 km deep · 2 km away
  7. 5.315 km WNW of Papayal, Peru · 20370 days ago · 33 km deep · 8 km away
  8. 5.219 km NW of Papayal, Peru · 20365 days ago · 33 km deep · 7 km away
  9. 5.315 km NW of Papayal, Peru · 20365 days ago · 37 km deep · 4 km away
  10. 5.614 km ENE of Máncora, Peru · 20364 days ago · 32 km deep · 15 km away
  11. 5.213 km W of Cañaveral, Peru · 20363 days ago · 37 km deep · 8 km away
  12. 5.224 km WNW of Cañaveral, Peru · 20359 days ago · 42 km deep · 14 km away
  13. 5.915 km NNE of Máncora, Peru · 20357 days ago · 35 km deep · 23 km away
  14. 5.312 km N of Máncora, Peru · 20329 days ago · 25 km deep · 27 km away

Before

  1. 7.29 km ENE of Papayal, Peru · 20376 days ago · 19 km deep · 18 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem789032. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:41 PM UTC.