September 30, 1946 Earthquake: Pisco, Peru
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Pisco, Peru on September 30, 1946 at 00:59:41 UTC, 53 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
- September 30, 1946
- Time
- 00:59:41 UTC
- Place
- Pisco, Peru
- Magnitude
- 6.1 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 53 km (33 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 13.314° S, 76.764° W
- Country
- Peru
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses damaged
- 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.
September 29, 1946, at 20:00 [local time], destructive earthquake in the city and harbor of Pisco. Intensity VI-VII MM. After the shock it was verified that 70% of the structures of adobe and wattle-and-daub in the city of Pisco suffered cracking of the walls and 20% considerable damage. The relatively modern premises of the Hospital of San Juan de Dios, with good foundations and concrete block walls, showed deep cracks in its walls and other slight ones in the roofs. On the other hand, the concrete buildings of the National College of Pisco suffered no damage. The felt area reached about 50,000 km2; in the valley of Chanchamayo, on the east flank of the cordillera, it was felt with an intensity of II MM. The instrumental magnitude was 7 or slightly less, approximate focal depth 80 km. The preliminary epicenter was 14 S, 76.25 W. (reference #1111)
September 30, 1946, 00:59:40 UTC, 14 S 76.25 W, depth slightly less than 100 km, magnitude 7.0 MS. (reference #45)
September 30, 1946, 00:59:40 UTC, 13 S, 76 W, magnitude 7.0 MS, depth 70 km, intensity VII. (reference #1208)
September 30, 1946, 00:59:40 UTC, 14.332 S, 76.664 W, depth 20 km, magnitude 7.0 MS, intensity VII. (reference #1221)
September 30, 1946, 00:59:40.95 UTC, 13.314 S 75.764 W, magnitude 6.1 Mw (reference #10476, v. 10)
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
- May 12, 1664, Ica, Pisco, Peru
- October 3, 1974, Lima, Callao, Peru
- December 18, 1594, Ica, Peru
- March 30, 1813, Ica, 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
More
Significant earthquakes of 1946The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1946Recent 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 6351.