Magnitude 8.0 - NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU

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Earthquake Details

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Earthquake Summary

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Felt Reports

At least 514 people killed and 1090 injured. More than 35,500 buildings destroyed and more than 4200 buildings damaged. The majority of the damage and casualties occurred in Chincha Alta, Ica and Pisco. Widespread communications and power outages occurred in the area. The Panamerican Highway, the Carretera Central and other main transport routes suffered heavy damage due to landslides and cracks. Felt (VIII) at Chincha Alta; (VI) at Lima, (V) at Cusco, (IV) at Arequipa and (III) at Trujillo. Felt at Abancay, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Chaclacayo, Chillca, Chimbote, Chosica, Cocachacra, Huacho, Huanuco, Huaraz, Huarmey, Ica, Imperial, La Oroya, Lambayeque, Mala, Nazca, Nuevo Imperial, Pachacamac, Quillabamba, Urubamba and Viru. Felt (III) at Bogota, Colombia and (II) at La Serena, Chile. Also felt at Coquimbo and Iquique, Chile; at Guayaquil and Quito, Ecuador; at La Paz, Bolivia and at Manaus, Brazil. Possible earthquake lights observed at Lima. Tsunami wave heights in centimeters at the following selected tide stations: 16 at Antofagasta, 36 at Arica, 23 at Caldera, 28 at Coquimbo, 16 at Iquique, 21 in Archipielago Juan Fernandez, 18 at San Antonio, 28 at San Felix, 35 at Talcahuano and 17 at Valparaiso, Chile; 27 at Galapagos Islands, Ecuador; 30 at Nuku Hiva Island, French Polynesia; 12 at Hanasaki and 13 at Tosa-Shimizu, Japan; 20 at Acapulco, Mexico; 30 at Chatham Island, 13 at Green Island, 25 at Kaikoura, 17 at Lyttelton, 22 at Sumner Head and 26 at Tinaru, New Zealand; 100 at Callao and La Punta, Peru; 13 at Apia, Samoa; 10 at Dutch Harbor, Alaska; 0.12 at Crescent City, California; 33 at Hilo, 28 at Kahului, 12 at Kawaihae, Hawaii, USA; 14 at Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Tectonic Summary

This earthquake occurred at the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates. The two plates are converging at a rate of 77 mm per year. The earthquake occurred as thrust-faulting on the interface between the two plates, with the South American plate moving up and seaward over the Nazca plate.

Coastal Peru has a history of very large earthquakes. The August 15 shock originated just south of the source region of the magnitude 8.1 earthquake of October 1974 and just north of the source regions of major earthquakes that occurred in August 1942 (magnitude 7.7) and 1996 (magnitude 7.7). The largest coastal Peru earthquake of the last two centuries was the magnitude 9 earthquake of 1868, which was centered about 700 km southeast of the August 15 earthquake. The 1868 shock produced a tsunami that killed several thousand people along the South American coast and also caused damage in Hawaii.

Earthquake Information for Peru

Earthquake Information for South America

4-minute field survey video filmed from September 15-21, 2007

Epicentral Area Seismicity Map jpeg pdf

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Scientific & Technical Information

• Global CMT Project Moment Tensor Solution
• Historic Moment Tensor Solutions
• Finite Fault Model
• Phase Data
• Seismicity Cross Section
• Seismic Record Section
• Theoretical P-Wave Travel Times
• Energy and Broadband Solution

Additional Information, News Reports

• Tsunami warning/watch/advisory for US west coast, British Columbia, and Alaska