M5.1 Earthquake 31 km NNE of El Cardo, Peru — August 1, 2020
2020-08-01 08:25:26 UTC (2020-08-01) · approx. 3:25 AM UTC-5 local
Felt by 13 people across nearby locations.
On August 1, 2020 at 08:25 UTC, a magnitude 5.1 intermediate depth earthquake struck 31 km NNE of El Cardo, Peru, at a depth of 79.6 km and coordinates -16.3440°, -72.6021°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 674 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.0 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Peru, a region characterized by the northern Peru-Chile subduction zone, complicated by the subduction of the Nazca Ridge. The nearest mapped fault system is the Peru-Chile Trench. View all earthquakes in Peru.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 13 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
-72.6021°E
Technical Information
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Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.1 earthquake near El Cardo, Peru?
The magnitude 5.1 earthquake that struck 31 km NNE of El Cardo, Peru on August 1, 2020 at 08:25 UTC had a depth of 79.6 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -16.3440°, -72.6021°, which is 31 km NNE of El Cardo, Peru. View all earthquakes in Peru.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.1 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Has Peru had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Peru was the M8.0 Arequipa earthquake of June 23, 2001. Today's magnitude 5.1 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
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Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000b7w3). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, August 1, 2020). M5.1 Earthquake 31 km NNE of El Cardo, Peru — August 1, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000b7w3/