M5.3 earthquake 21 km N of Salinas, Ecuador
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 21 km N of Salinas, Ecuador on Wed, May 6, 1981, 4:34 PM GMT-5 (21:34 UTC), 33 km (21 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.4 37 km NNE of Salinas, Ecuador. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (mb), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-05-06 21:34:48 UTC
- Depth
- 33.0 km (20.5 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 2.025° S, 80.977° W
- Region
- Ecuador
- 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
- Map
- Automatic
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
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayEcuador earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001djg (also filed as atlas19810506213453, iscgem626279). Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 8:54 PM UTC.