August 21, 1985 Earthquake: Chimbote, Coast, Peru
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Chimbote, Coast, Peru on August 21, 1985 at 11:26:28 UTC, 57 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
- August 21, 1985
- Time
- 11:26:28 UTC
- Place
- Chimbote, Coast, Peru
- Magnitude
- 6.1 (mb)
- Focal depth
- 57 km (35 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 9.159° S, 78.887° W
- Country
- Peru
The toll
- Injuries
- 100
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 60
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.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 31, 1970, Northern, Pisco, Chiclayo, Peru
- January 7, 1725, Trujillo, Ancash, Lima, Peru
- November 10, 1946, Jocaibamba,cerro Angaschaj,cerro Sillapata, Peru
- February 14, 1619, Trujillo, Piura, Santa, Peru
- October 17, 1966, Lima,huacho,huaura, Chancay,supe,san Nicolas, Peru
- February 21, 1996, Chimbote, Callao, Northern, Peru
- April 18, 1962, Casma,huaraz,quiruvilca,trujillo, Peru
- October 2, 1987, Santaog DE Chuco, Trujillo, Chimbote, Peru
- June 7, 2020, Chimbote, Coast, Peru
- January 11, 1986, Huarmey, Casma, Huarax, Chimbote, Peru
- September 24, 1963, Huayllacayan,cajacay,malyas,malvas,huaraz, Peru
- June 18, 1678, Lima,salinas-Huaura,lima,callao,chancay, Peru
- February 14, 1658, Trujillo, Peru
- September 3, 1967, Off Coast, Peru
More
Significant earthquakes of 1985The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1985Recent 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 5071.