M5.3 earthquake 47 km SE of Palora, Ecuador
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 47 km SE of Palora, Ecuador on Sat, Jan 27, 1996, 7:28 PM GMT-5 (00:28 UTC), 155 km (96 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
- 1996-01-28 00:28:30 UTC
- Depth
- 155.1 km (96.4 mi), intermediate-depth
- Epicenter
- 1.971° S, 77.637° W
- Region
- Ecuador
- 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 |
| 5.3 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.3 | 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: GSN L.P.B.: 28S, 34C Centroid Location: Origin Time 00:28:35.5 0.5 Lat 1.79S 0.05 Lon 77.71W 0.06 Dep 149.0 2.1 Half-duration 1.1 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**16 Nm Mrr=-6.27 0.40 Mtt=3.82 0.66 Mff=2.45 0.79 Mrt=6.86 0.37 Mrf=-3.92 0.62 Mtf=-6.07 0.72 Principal Axes: (T) Val=12.46 Plg=23 Azm=39 (N) Val=-2.66 Plg=11 Azm=305 (P) Val=-9.80 Plg=65 Azm=191 Best Double Couple:Mo=1.1*10**17 NP1:Strike=149 Dip=24 Slip=-63 NP2:Strike=300 Dip=68 Slip=-102
From the USGS event page for usp0007bv2. 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.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.462 km E of Macas, Ecuador · 11197 days ago · 33 km deep · 39 km away
- 3.949 km ENE of Palora, Ecuador · 11183 days ago · 200 km deep · 51 km away
- 4.39 km NNE of Puyo, Ecuador · 11147 days ago · 33 km deep · 74 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayEcuador earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0007bv2 (also filed as gcmtb012896a, gcmt19960128002830, iscgem944391). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 11:44 AM UTC.