July 28, 1913 Earthquake: Arequipa, Peru
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Arequipa, Peru on July 28, 1913 at 06:40 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
- July 28, 1913
- Time
- 06:40 UTC
- Place
- Arequipa, Peru
- Magnitude
- 7 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 30 km (19 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 16.600° S, 73.300° W
- Country
- Peru
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 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.
July 28, 1913, 12:40 [local time], July 28 05:39.3 UTC, 17 S, 74 W. There was a 6 degree earthquake at Arequipa. Everyone sleeping was awakened, and felt strong tremors which lasted 70 seconds. The second shock was felt 1 1/2 minutes later. At 12:46 when they entered the seismic pavilion, the needle of the instrument appeared to be still moving. The ground shook for a long time but not very strongly. The pendulums of some clocks stopped. There was universal panic in the city. The cable companies reported serious damage to cable lines off the coast of Peru, probably due more to the seaquake than to the earthquake. A strong earthquake occurred at Tacna; there was a "maremoto" at Mollendo; a cable was broken. It was felt between Chala and Mollendo. The cable broke at 17 S, 78.3 W, at a depth of 4209 m. [Apparently only a seaquake, without generation of a tsunami.] (reference #415)
July 28, 1913, at 01:40 [local time]. Violent shock in the region of the south coast, between the ports of Chala and Mollendo. It ruptured three submarine cables at 17 S and 73.3 W, and 4200 meters deep. This damage was attributed to a submarine talus slide (Report of the Central and South Am. Telegraph). Instrumental epicenter 17 S, 74 W, magnitude 7. (reference #1111)
July 28, 1913. Earthquake in Chala (Arequipa Department) Rupture of 3 submarine lines. (reference #1102)
July 28, 1913, 06:40 UTC, 16.6 S, 73.3 W, magnitude 7.13 MS, depth 30 km, seiche. (reference #1221)
July 28, 1913, 06:40 UTC, 16.6 S, 73.3 W, magnitude 7.0 MS, depth 30 km, intensity IX, landslides. (reference #1208)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 13, 1784, Arequipa,camana,moquegua,tambo, Peru
- July 10, 1821, Camana, Ocona, Caraveli, Peru
- June 23, 2001, Arequipa, Moquegua, Tacna, Ayacucho, Peru
- January 13, 1960, Arequipa,chuquibamba,caraveli,cotahuasi, Peru
- January 22, 1582, Socabaya,arequipa, Peru
- December 2, 1914, Pararca,paysa,colta,oyala, Peru
- January 15, 1958, Arequipa, Peru
- February 16, 1979, Arequipa, Peru
- August 15, 2016, Arequipa, Peru
- January 14, 2018, Yauca, Peru
- August 11, 2017, Arequipa, Peru
- July 18, 2017, Arequipa, Peru
- April 3, 1999, Camana, Arequipa, Peru
- July 7, 2001, Arequipa, Arica, Peru
- July 8, 2008, Arequipa, Peru
More
Significant earthquakes of 1913The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1913Recent 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 6260.