M5.3 earthquake 15 km SW of Pacapausa, Peru
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 15 km SW of Pacapausa, Peru on Thu, Sep 20, 1984, 4:53 AM GMT-5 (09:53 UTC), 100 km (62 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1984-09-20 09:53:45 UTC
- Depth
- 100.4 km (62.4 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 15.055° S, 73.465° W
- Region
- Peru
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.24 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.2 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 9S, 15C Centroid Location: Origin Time 09:53:47.7 1.1 Lat 15.18S 0.09 Lon 73.50W 0.16 Dep 118.4 7.0 Half-duration 1.6 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**23 D-CM Mrr=-6.07 0.65 Mtt=-2.95 1.11 Mff=9.01 1.28 Mrt=-0.92 0.45 Mrf=-4.73 0.60 Mtf=0.25 0.78 Principal Axes: (T) Val=10.39 Plg=16 Azm=92 (N) Val=-2.82 Plg=9 Azm=185 (P) Val=-7.57 Plg=71 Azm=303 Best Double Couple:Mo=9.0*10**23 NP1:Strike=169 Dip=30 Slip=-109 NP2:Strike=10 Dip=62 Slip=-80
From the USGS event page for usp00027hk. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
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 2.3 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00027hk (also filed as gcmtb092084c, gcmt19840920095345, iscgem544707). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 4:34 AM UTC.