M4.6 Earthquake 53 km SW of Chilca, Peru — January 15, 2021
2021-01-15 23:51:14 UTC (2021-01-15) · approx. 6:51 PM UTC-5 local
Felt by 21 people across nearby locations.
On January 15, 2021 at 23:51 UTC, a magnitude 4.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 53 km SW of Chilca, Peru, at a depth of 35.5 km and coordinates -12.8249°, -77.1256°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 120 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 899 m — 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 21 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
-77.1256°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.6 earthquake near Chilca, Peru?
The magnitude 4.6 earthquake that struck 53 km SW of Chilca, Peru on January 15, 2021 at 23:51 UTC had a depth of 35.5 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -12.8249°, -77.1256°, which is 53 km SW of Chilca, Peru. View all earthquakes in Peru.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.6 earthquakes can continue for several days 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 4.6 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
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Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000d0iv). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, January 15, 2021). M4.6 Earthquake 53 km SW of Chilca, Peru — January 15, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000d0iv/