January 6, 1922 Earthquake: Peru
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Peru on January 6, 1922 at 14:11:02 UTC, 33 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
- January 6, 1922
- Time
- 14:11:02 UTC
- Place
- Peru
- Magnitude
- 7.2 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 16.500° S, 73.000° W
- Country
- Peru
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with its tsunami and other effects
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) with its tsunami and other effects
- Houses damaged
- Some (about 51 to 100) with its tsunami and other effects
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 6, 1922, 14:11:02 UTC, 16.5 S, 73.0 W, shallow depth, magnitude 7.2 MS. (reference #88)
January 6, 1922, 14:11:02 UTC, 16.5 S, 73.0 W, magnitude 7.2 MS. (reference #1208)
January 6, 1922, 14:11:02 UTC, 16.5 S, 73.0 W, magnitude 7.2 MS. (reference #1221)
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
- July 23, 1991, Maca, Chivay, Yanque, 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
- April 3, 1999, Camana, Arequipa, Peru
- August 11, 2017, Arequipa, Peru
- July 18, 2017, Arequipa, Peru
- July 8, 2008, Arequipa, Peru
More
Significant earthquakes of 1922The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1922Recent 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 6582.