February 14, 1619 Earthquake: Trujillo, Piura, Santa, Peru
A magnitude 8.6 earthquake struck Trujillo, Piura, Santa, Peru on February 14, 1619 at 16:30 UTC, 40 km below the surface. It killed 350 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- February 14, 1619
- Time
- 16:30 UTC
- Place
- Trujillo, Piura, Santa, Peru
- Magnitude
- 8.6 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 40 km (25 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 7.941° S, 79.038° W
- Country
- Peru
The toll
- Deaths
- 350
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
February, 19 [14?], 1619 at 11:30 [local time]. Earthquake in northern Peru, which razed to its foundations the city of Trujillo, the destruction extending to the towns of Saña and Santa. In Trujillo some 350 people died. The movement spread about 200 km from north to south and 330 km from east to west. The ground trembled for more than fifteen days. Feijoo relates that the earthquake not only demolished buildings in the plains and in the adjacent mountains, but cracked the earth in various parts ejecting from its bosom a viscous and pestilent material consisting of muddy water which formed streams which flowed through the fields so that the waters of the river from the town of Santa, between Barranca and others, were stained with that malign inundation. (reference #1111)
February 14, 1619. Strong in Lima, but slight damage. Trujillo and Piura almost destroyed. (reference #1102)
February 14, 1619, 16:30 UTC, 8.9 S, 79.3 W, magnitude 7.7, intensity IX, depth 50 km, casualties. (reference #1208)
February 14, 1619, 16:30 UTC, 7.941 S, 79.038 W, magnitude 8.6, intensity VIII, depth 40 km. (reference #1221)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 31, 1970, Northern, Pisco, Chiclayo, Peru
- January 7, 1725, Trujillo, Ancash, Lima, Peru
- November 10, 1946, Jocaibamba,cerro Angaschaj,cerro Sillapata, Peru
- February 21, 1996, Chimbote, Callao, Northern, Peru
- October 2, 1987, Santaog DE Chuco, Trujillo, Chimbote, Peru
- June 7, 2020, Chimbote, Coast, Peru
- February 14, 1658, Trujillo, Peru
- June 18, 1678, Lima,salinas-Huaura,lima,callao,chancay, Peru
- August 21, 1985, Chimbote, Coast, Peru
More
Significant earthquakes of 1619The 1600sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 885.