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  | |
| UTC time | 2022-05-12 21:55:48 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 624314764 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | May 12, 2022 |
| Local time | 16:55 |
| Magnitude | 5.4 Mw |
| Depth | 51.2 km (31.8 mi) |
| Epicenter | 12°23′35″S76°53′49″W / 12.393°S 76.897°W |
| Areas affected | Peru |
| Total damage | Minor |
| Max. intensity | MMI VII (Very strong) |
| Casualties | 2 dead, 11 injured |
An earthquake struck the Department of Lima, Peru on May 12, 2022. The earthquake caused minor damage and some casualties in the Lima area. Several homes collapsed due to the earthquake.
Earthquakes in Peru occur as the result of shallow thrust faulting about 100 km east of the Peru-Chile Trench and on the subduction zone interface between the Nazca and South American plates. At the location of the earthquake, the two plates converge at a velocity of about 77 mm/yr, with the South American plate moving up and seaward over the Nazca plate. The earthquake location, depth, and focal mechanism solutions indicate that the source of the earthquake was likely along the interface between the two plates.
Coastal Peru has a history of very large earthquakes. The May 2022 event originated just northwest of the source region of the Lima earthquake of October 1974 and just north of the source regions of major earthquakes that occurred in August 1942 and November 1996. The largest coastal Peru earthquake of the last two centuries was the magnitude 8.5-9.3 earthquake of 1868, which was centered southeast of the May 12th earthquake. The 1868 event produced a tsunami that resulted in 25,000 fatalities along the South America coast and also caused damage in Hawaii.
| Modified Mercalli intensities in selected locations [1] | ||
| MMI | Locations | Population exposure |
|---|---|---|
| MMI VII (Very strong) | San Bartolo | 8,000 |
| MMI VI (Strong) | San Luis | 1.08 million |
| MMI V (Moderate) | Lima Callao | 8.92 million |
| MMI IV (Light) | San Vicente de Cañete | 1.46 million |
The earthquake occurred southeast of the Peruvian capital Lima. It was centred 11 km northwest of San Bartolo. [1] The earthquake had a maximum MMI of VII (Very strong) in San Bartolo, and an intensity of V (Moderate) in Lima. [1]
Four months prior to the May event, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck the same area. [2] This earthquake caused 39 injuries, destroyed twelve homes and caused rockslides in the Lima area. [3]
Minor damage occurred mainly in Lima. Four adobe houses collapsed, and seventeen others were damaged. One of these collapsing homes injured three people in Huaral, all over the age of 50. Three young children were injured and a 16-year-old girl fell from the third floor of her home. In total, eleven people were injured. A four-year-old child in Lima was injured and later died at the hospital after falling off a building during the quake, [4] [5] and an 84-year-old woman died of a heart attack. [6] [7] A coastal highway in Costa Verde suffered landslides from the ravines that guard it, which caused occasional closures of the road. [8] [9]
The 2007 Peru earthquake, which measured 8.0 on the moment magnitude scale, hit the central coast of Peru on August 15 at 23:40:57 UTC and lasted two minutes. The epicenter was located 150 km (93 mi) south-southeast of Lima at a depth of 39 km (24 mi). At least 595 people died and over 2,290 people were injured.
The 1687 Peru earthquake occurred at 11:30 UTC on 20 October 1687. It had an estimated magnitude of 8.4–8.7 and caused severe damage to Lima, Callao and Ica. It triggered a tsunami and overall, about 5,000 people died.
The 2010 Pichilemu earthquakes, also known as the Libertador O'Higgins earthquakes, were a pair of intraplate earthquakes measuring 6.9 and 7.0 Mw that struck Chile's O'Higgins Region on 11 March 2010 about 16 minutes apart. The earthquakes were centred 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) northwest of the city of Pichilemu.
The 1928 Chachapoyas earthquake occurred on May 14 at 17:14 local time. It had a magnitude of Mw 7.2, Ms 7.3, or ML 7.3. Chachapoyas, Peru was almost completely destroyed. A landslide in Pinpincos caused the death of 25 people. Many houses were damaged in Machala, Ecuador. The maximum intensity was X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. The earthquake could be felt in Lima. It could also be felt in Ecuador, Brazil, and Colombia.
An earthquake measuring Mw 8.0 struck Peru and the surrounding areas on 26 May 2019 at 02:41 local time. It had a maximum perceived intensity of VII on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale in the towns of Yurimaguas and Lagunas. Two people died and a further 30 were injured. It was the strongest earthquake in 2019 by magnitude.
The 1940 Lima earthquake occurred on May 24 at 11:35 a.m. PST with a magnitude of Mw 8.2 on the moment magnitude scale. Shaking from this powerful earthquake was felt throughout the country, and in Ecuador and Chile. An estimated 179 to 300 people died while 3,500 left injured by the earthquake. The earthquake was centered near the coastal cities of Huacho and Huaura, about 150 km (93 mi) north of the Peruvian capital, Lima. There was a tsunami of up to 2 m that did not cause damage.
Events in the year 2021 in Peru.
The 2019 Coquimbo earthquake occurred 10 km south southwest of Coquimbo in Chile, on January 19, 2019 at 22:32. The epicenter was located off the coast of the Coquimbo Region at a depth of 63.0 km,) and had a moment magnitude of 6.7. On the Mercalli scale, the earthquake reached an intensity of VIII.
The 2021 Mala earthquake, with a Richter magnitude of 6.0 and moment magnitude of 5.9, struck on June 22, 2021, at 21:54:18 local time (UTC−5) with an epicenter off the coast of Mala in the department of Lima. Following the main event, there were more than 15 aftershocks, with the largest being a magnitude 4.8 event at 07:03 local time on June 23.
The 1947 Satipo earthquake was the largest earthquake in the sub-Andean region of Peru. It occurred on November 1 at 09:58:57 local time with an epicenter in the Department of Junín. The earthquake had an estimated moment magnitude (Mw ) of 7.7 and focal depth of 20 km (12 mi). Damage was severe in the towns of Satipo and La Merced, and at least 233 people died.
A moment magnitude Mw 7.0 or 7.1 earthquake occurred near the city of Acapulco in the Mexican state of Guerrero at 20:47 local time on 7 September with an estimated intensity of VIII (Severe) on the MMI scale. The earthquake killed 13 people and injured at least 23 others. At least 1.6 million people in Mexico were affected by the earthquake which resulted in localized severe damage. The earthquake occurred on the anniversary of the 2017 Chiapas earthquake which measured Mw 8.2. It was also the largest earthquake in Mexico since the 2020 Oaxaca earthquake.
A major earthquake struck northern Peru on November 28, 2021, 5:52 a.m. local time with a magnitude of 7.5 on the moment magnitude scale between the Amazonas and Loreto departments of Peru. A maximum Modified Mercalli intensity (MMI) of VII was reported in the town of Santa Maria de Nieva according to the Geological Institute of Peru.
On 19 September 2022, a moment magnitude 7.6-7.7 earthquake struck between the Mexican states of Michoacán and Colima at 13:05:06 local time. The earthquake had a depth of 26.9 km (16.7 mi), resulting in a maximum intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. The USGS reported the epicentre was 35 km (22 mi) southwest of the town of Aquila. Two people were killed and at least 35 others were injured across several states. A magnitude 6.8 aftershock struck on 22 September, causing three more deaths.
A strong earthquake struck southern Ecuador on 18 March 2023. It measured 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale, and struck with a hypocenter 68.0 km (42.3 mi) deep. The epicenter was located in the Gulf of Guayaquil, off the coast of Balao Canton and about 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Guayaquil. There was major damage, 446 injuries and 18 fatalities in Ecuador's El Oro, Azuay and Guayas provinces. Two additional fatalities and dozens of injuries were reported in Peru.
A earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.1 and its aftershocks affected the El Calvario Capital-Cordillera subregion and Medina province, on 17 August 2023.
