Argentina earthquakes

M5.8 earthquake 56 km NE of Caucete, Argentina

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 56 km NE of Caucete, Argentina on Tue, Jan 17, 1978, 8:33 AM GMT-3 (11:33 UTC), 24 km (15 mi) below the surface.

Caucete forecast More in Argentina

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.8 (mb), moderate
Local time: Tue, Jan 17, 1978, 8:33 AM GMT-3
UTC: 1978-01-17 11:33:14 UTC
Depth: 24.0 km (14.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 31.287° S, 67.867° W
Region: Argentina
Strongest shaking: VI, 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: VI, strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 20.4% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 2.7 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.

Depth from: CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
Stations used: 120

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Argentina earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0000sjx (also filed as gcmtb011778a, gcmt19780117113314, atlas19780117113315, iscgem687916). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:11 AM UTC.