January 8, 1725 Earthquake: Arequipa, Peru
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Arequipa, Peru on January 8, 1725 at 13:00 UTC, 3 km below the surface.
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
- January 8, 1725
- Time
- 13:00 UTC
- Place
- Arequipa, Peru
- Magnitude
- 7.6 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 3 km (2 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 16.400° S, 70.800° W
- Country
- Peru
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses damaged
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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.
January 8, 1725, 13:00 UTC, 16.4 S, 70.8 W, depth 30 km, magnitude 7.64, intensity IX. (reference #1218)
January 8, 1725, 13:00 UTC, 16.4 S, 70.8 W, depth 30 km, magnitude 7.64, intensity IX. (reference #1221)
January 8, 1725, 13:00 UTC, 16.4 S, 71.6 W, depth 80 km, intensity VII. (reference #1208)
January 8, 1725. Arequipa, Peru (16.4 S, 71.55 W), estimated intensity was VII M. Damage in churches and houses in bad condition. This earthquake was accompanied by terrifying clatter and great cloud of dust. There were many after-shocks. (reference #1102)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- February 19, 1600, Volcan Huaynaputina, Peru
- May 13, 1784, Arequipa,camana,moquegua,tambo, Peru
- November 24, 1604, Arica, Arequipa, Chile, Peru
- July 23, 1991, Maca, Chivay, Yanque, Peru
- January 22, 1582, Socabaya,arequipa, Peru
- January 15, 1958, Arequipa, Peru
- February 16, 1979, Arequipa, Peru
- August 15, 2016, Arequipa, Peru
- October 9, 1955, Mungui,la Union Prov,arequipa,toro,cotahuasi, Peru
- May 11, 1948, Arequipa,moquegua,tacna,torata,quellaveco, Peru
- July 8, 2008, Arequipa, Peru
- December 1, 2016, Puno, Lampa, Peru
- August 13, 1987, Arequipa, Tacna, Arica, Peru, Chile
- July 7, 2001, Arequipa, Arica, Peru
- March 1, 2019, Arequipa, Peru
More
Significant earthquakes of 1725The 1700sRecent 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 1234.