Shallow M6.0 Earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 100km from Minas de Marcona (Peru) on Sunday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on June 16th, 2024. Last updated June 25th, 2024.

In the morning of Sunday June 16th, 2024, a shallow and strong M6.0 earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 100 kilometer from Minas de Marcona, Peru. Roughly 410 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, right off the coast of Peru (11 mi offshore), 100 kilometer south-east of Minas de Marcona in Ica. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 20 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jun 16, 2024 09:47 (Lima Time) - Jun 16, 2024 14:47 Universal Time.
Location:	100 km SE of Minas de Marcona, Ica, Peru. Coordinates 15°55'9"S 74°32'21"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.0 Detected by 29 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.058 .
Depth:	20 km (12 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 99% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 410 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 410 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Strong shaking and probably light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 4,990 people. At VI, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 210 thousand) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Peru .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
208,200	III	Weak	Probably none
181,800	IV	Light	Likely none
19,500	V	Moderate	Very light
4,990	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Peru . Minas de Marcona in Ica, Peru is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 100 kilometer (62 mi) south-east of Minas de Marcona. The intensity of shaking and damage in Minas de Marcona is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Arequipa is located 325 km to the east (intensity unknown, possibly low). Ica is located 242 km to the north-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Cusco is located 384 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
100 km (62 mi) NW from epicenter	Minas de Marcona Ica, Peru.	IV Light
128 km (80 mi) NNW from epicenter	Nazca Ica, Peru.	IV Light
210 km (130 mi) ESE from epicenter	Camaná Arequipa, Peru.	IV Light
242 km (150 mi) NNW from epicenter	Ica Ica, Peru.
256 km (159 mi) E from epicenter	El Pedregal Arequipa, Peru.
281 km (175 mi) NNE from epicenter	Andahuaylas Apurímac, Peru.
296 km (184 mi) ESE from epicenter	Mollendo Arequipa, Peru.
304 km (189 mi) NW from epicenter	Pisco Ica, Peru.
305 km (190 mi) NW from epicenter	San Clemente Ica, Peru.
309 km (192 mi) N from epicenter	Ayacucho Ayacucho, Peru.
310 km (193 mi) NE from epicenter	Abancay Apurímac, Peru.
319 km (198 mi) E from epicenter	Cono Norte Arequipa, Peru.
324 km (201 mi) E from epicenter	Jacobo Hunter Arequipa, Peru.
325 km (202 mi) E from epicenter	Arequipa Arequipa, Peru.
326 km (203 mi) E from epicenter	Selva Alegre Arequipa, Peru.
326 km (203 mi) E from epicenter	Ciudad Satelite Arequipa, Peru.
327 km (203 mi) NNW from epicenter	Chincha Alta Ica, Peru.
333 km (207 mi) N from epicenter	Huanta Ayacucho, Peru.
352 km (219 mi) N from epicenter	Huancavelica Huancavelica, Peru.
358 km (222 mi) ENE from epicenter	Yauri Cusco, Peru.
370 km (230 mi) NNW from epicenter	Nuevo Imperial Lima Region, Peru.
373 km (232 mi) NNW from epicenter	Imperial Lima Region, Peru.
373 km (232 mi) NNW from epicenter	San Vicente de Cañete Lima Region, Peru.
382 km (237 mi) NE from epicenter	Santiago Cusco, Peru.
384 km (239 mi) NE from epicenter	Wanchaq Cusco, Peru.
384 km (239 mi) NE from epicenter	Cusco Cusco, Peru.
390 km (242 mi) ESE from epicenter	Ilo Moquegua, Peru.
392 km (244 mi) NNE from epicenter	Santa Ana Cusco, Peru.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VI.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 18 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 18 people have reported shaking in 4 places, all within Peru.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Lima, Lima Provincias, Peru: 7 people.
Acarí, Arequipa, Peru: 4 people.
San Luis, Lima Provincias, Peru: 4 people.
Ica, Ica, Peru: 3 people.

4 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 4 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 31 km (19 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 12 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.5

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 6.0	Jun 16, 2024 09:47 (Lima Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.5	12 hrs later Jun 16, 2024 21:23 (Lima Time)	31 km (19 mi) SW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.2	12 hrs later Jun 16, 2024 21:39 (Lima Time)	15 km (10 mi) E from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.6	1 day later Jun 17, 2024 10:58 (Lima Time)	17 km (10 mi) ESE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.5	1 day later Jun 17, 2024 16:34 (Lima Time)	17 km (11 mi) E from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since December 20th, 2023, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 216 km (134 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on January 14th, 2018.

In total, 4 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 3 years.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 20 km (12 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 25/06/24 15:28 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.