M5.1 earthquake 70 km S of Paracas, Peru
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 70 km S of Paracas, Peru on Sun, Jul 16, 1972, 11:02 PM GMT-5 (04:02 UTC), 17 km (11 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.3 66 km SSW of Paracas, Peru. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1972-07-17 04:02:56 UTC
- Depth
- 17.4 km (10.8 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 14.503° S, 76.343° 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
- ±0.20
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayPeru earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem771637. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 2:47 PM UTC.