Shallow M5.8 Earthquake hit near Minas de Marcona in Peru on Friday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 12th, 2024. Last updated August 25th, 2024.

In the night of Friday July 12th, 2024, a shallow and significant M5.8 earthquake hit under land 51 kilometer from Minas de Marcona in Peru. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 0.9 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Peru, 51 kilometer (32 mi) south-east of Minas de Marcona in Ica. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 23 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 12, 2024 04:30 (Lima Time) - Jul 12, 2024 09:30 Universal Time.
Location:	51 km SE of Minas de Marcona, Ica, Peru. Coordinates 15°32'51"S 74°47'32"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 25 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.062 .
Depth:	23 km (14 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (4 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to 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 0.9 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 0.9 million 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.

An estimated 4,870 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 710 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Peru .

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 51 kilometer (32 mi) south-east of Minas de Marcona. The intensity of shaking and damage in Minas de Marcona is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Arequipa is located 361 km to the east-southeast (intensity unknown, possibly low). Ica is located 193 km to the north-northwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Huancayo is located 390 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VI. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 3 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have reported shaking in 3 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:

• Acarí, Arequipa, Peru: 1 person.
• Ica, Ica, Peru: 1 person.
• Nazca, Ica, Peru: 1 person.

4 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 4 smaller aftershocks. A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit 9 hrs later 47 km (29 mi) south of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.3 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

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 June 29th, 2024, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 61 km (38 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on June 28th, 2024.

In total, 10 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 year.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 25/08/24 06:48 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000mytc
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240712_0000121
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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