1747 Earthquake: Ayapata, Carabaya Province, Peru
An earthquake struck Ayapata, Carabaya Province, Peru in 1747, 20 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
- 1747
- Place
- Ayapata, Carabaya Province, Peru
- Focal depth
- 20 km (12 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 13.900° S, 70.350° W
- Country
- Peru
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- 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.
1747. In that year there occurred a strong shock whose date and month could not be ascertained as it occurred in a remote region of Puno. It is known that it caused great destruction in Ayapata, Carabaya province; muddy water gushed from the earth and many people perished. (reference #1111)
1747, Peru, Carabaya, intensity I which corresponds to an earthquake of intensity sufficient to crack walls, break chimneys, to shatter old buildings or to produce cracks in the ground. (reference #1055)
1747, 13.9 S, 70.35 W, depth 20 km, intensity IX. (reference #1208)
1747 July (?). In 1747 there was a strong earthquake in Ayapata, Carabaya and Puno (Silgado, 1978), which caused great destruction, many people perished and muddy water gushed out; the intensity was VIII in Ayapata. (reference #14060)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 17, 1707, Cuzco, Peru
- May 21, 1950, Cusco, Peru
- January 31, 1943, Yanacoa, Pampamarca, Peru
- April 5, 1986, Cuzco, Peru
- April 9, 1928, Peru
- September 28, 2014, Paruro Province, Peru
- March 1, 2019, Arequipa, Peru
- December 1, 2016, Puno, Lampa, Peru
- February 26, 1952, Peru-Bolivia
- May 26, 2022, Puno, Peru
- August 15, 1963, Southern Peru
- 1581, Yanaoca, Peru
- April 27, 1928, Esquilaya, Peru
- July 26, 1958, Southern Peru
- May 16, 1950, Peru
More
Significant earthquakes of 1747The 1700sRecent earthquakes near here
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 1298.