November 13, 1655 Earthquake: Lima, Callao, Peru
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Lima, Callao, Peru on November 13, 1655 at 19:45 UTC, 30 km below the surface. It caused a tsunami.
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
- November 13, 1655
- Time
- 19:45 UTC
- Place
- Lima, Callao, Peru
- Magnitude
- 7.7 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 30 km (19 mi)
- Intensity
- 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 12.300° S, 77.600° W
- Country
- Peru
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
November, 13, 1655, at 14:45. Movement which toppled many houses and buildings in Lima. Deep fissures opened up in the Main Plaza and near the Convent of Guadelupe. In El Callao, the church of the Company of Jesus, built of stone and mortar, was reduced to rubble. The phenomenon was felt for some 600 km along the coast and 300 inland. (reference #1111)
November 13, 1655. Serious destruction in Lima, many building were destroyed. Was felt about 150 km northward and southward and 80 km toward the Andes. Considerable damages and cracks in the soil in Callas. (reference #1102)
November 13, 1655, 14:38, 12 S, 77 W, intensity IX at Lima and Callao, generated a tsunami. (reference #1211)
November 13, 1655, 19:45, 12.3 S, 77.6 W, depth 30 km, magnitude 7.7, intensity X. (reference #1208)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- 1657, Lima,callao, Peru
- 1654, Lima, Chile, Peru
- October 29, 1746, Lima, Callao, Peru
- October 20, 1687, Lima, Peru
- August 15, 2007, Ica, Pisco, Lima, Peru
- October 3, 1974, Lima, Callao, Peru
- March 30, 1828, Lima, Callao, Peru
- July 10, 1586, Lima, Peru
- January 5, 1974, Lima, Yauyos, Peru
- April 18, 1993, Lima, Peru
- January 8, 1865, Peru
- May 28, 1948, Canete, Peru
- March 28, 1982, Coast, Lunahuana, Lima, Huancayo, Peru
- May 12, 2022, Lima, Callao, Chilca, Peru
- June 15, 2025, Lima, Callao, Peru
More
Significant earthquakes of 1655The 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 998.