M4.8 earthquake 75 km WSW of Puerto Casma, Peru
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 75 km WSW of Puerto Casma, Peru on Fri, Mar 2, 1979, 2:17 PM GMT-5 (19:17 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.9 43 km SW of Chimbote, Peru. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.8 (mb, body-wave), light
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-03-02 19:17:17 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 9.825° S, 78.968° 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.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
- Stations used
- 12
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 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 usp0000z4c. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 11:50 PM UTC.