Peru earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 15 km WNW of Papayal, Peru

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 15 km WNW of Papayal, Peru on Tue, Dec 15, 1970, 4:15 PM GMT-5 (21:15 UTC), 33 km (20 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 15 km NNE of Máncora, Peru. This one was a foreshock.

La Breita forecastMore in Peru

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
5.3 (mw), moderate
Local time
UTC
1970-12-15 21:15:21 UTC
Depth
32.8 km (20.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
4.026° S, 80.871° 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
±0.27
Depth from
From location

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.219 km NW of Papayal, Peru · 20371 days ago · 33 km deep · 10 km away
  2. 5.315 km NW of Papayal, Peru · 20371 days ago · 37 km deep · 4 km away
  3. 5.614 km ENE of Máncora, Peru · 20370 days ago · 32 km deep · 8 km away
  4. 5.213 km W of Cañaveral, Peru · 20370 days ago · 37 km deep · 15 km away
  5. 5.224 km WNW of Cañaveral, Peru · 20365 days ago · 42 km deep · 17 km away
  6. 5.915 km NNE of Máncora, Peru · 20363 days ago · 35 km deep · 18 km away
  7. 5.312 km N of Máncora, Peru · 20335 days ago · 25 km deep · 21 km away
  8. 5.218 km NE of Máncora, Peru · 20318 days ago · 32 km deep · 5 km away

Before

  1. 5.212 km NW of Papayal, Peru · 20379 days ago · 40 km deep · 6 km away
  2. 5.76 km WSW of Papayal, Peru · 20381 days ago · 35 km deep · 13 km away
  3. 5.220 km NE of Máncora, Peru · 20381 days ago · 32 km deep · 6 km away
  4. 5.66 km ENE of Máncora, Peru · 20382 days ago · 36 km deep · 15 km away
  5. 5.114 km N of El Alto, Peru · 20382 days ago · 37 km deep · 42 km away
  6. 5.116 km WNW of Cañaveral, Peru · 20382 days ago · 35 km deep · 18 km away
  7. 5.412 km NW of Papayal, Peru · 20382 days ago · 38 km deep · 8 km away
  8. 7.29 km ENE of Papayal, Peru · 20382 days ago · 19 km deep · 23 km away

Earthquakes todayPeru earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem789213. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 4:01 AM UTC.