Significant earthquakes of 1963

September 24, 1963 Earthquake: Huayllacayan,cajacay,malyas,malvas,huaraz, Peru

September 24, 1963 · M7 · 1 death

A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Huayllacayan,cajacay,malyas,malvas,huaraz, Peru on September 24, 1963 at 16:30:16 UTC, 75 km below the surface. It killed 1 person, counting the tsunami it caused.

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 24, 1963
Time
16:30:16 UTC
Place
Huayllacayan,cajacay,malyas,malvas,huaraz, Peru
Magnitude
7 (Ms)
Focal depth
75 km (47 mi)
Epicenter
10.385° S, 78.022° W
Country
Peru

The toll

Deaths
1
Damage
Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
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.

September 24, 1963, at 11:30 hours. Destructive earthquake in the villages in the Cordillera Negra, at latitude 10 deg S. It caused damage to rustic structures of adobe in the districts and hamlets of Huayllacayan, Cajacay, Malyas, Corparaco, Cajamarquilla, Ocros, Raquia, Congas, and Llipa, in the department of Ancash. Damage to the irrigation canals and roads, slumping of loose material from the hillsides. Collapse of a wall caused one death in Malvas. (reference #1111)

September 24, 1963, 16:30:16 UTC, 10.385 S, 78.022 W, magnitude 6.0 MS, depth 75 km. (reference #1221)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1963The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1963Recent 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 4303.