M4.5 earthquake 49 km SE of Palca, Peru
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 49 km SE of Palca, Peru on Thu, May 7, 1981, 4:45 PM GMT-5 (21:45 UTC), 156 km (97 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M4.7 84 km ESE of Arica, Chile. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-05-07 21:45:49 UTC
- Depth
- 156.0 km (96.9 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 18.098° S, 69.638° 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.
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 2 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.784 km ESE of Arica, Chile · 16556 days ago · 124 km deep · 70 km away
- 4.785 km ESE of Arica, Chile · 16542 days ago · 122 km deep · 80 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayPeru earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001djx. Read Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 9:56 PM UTC.