Written by on . Last updated December 2nd, 2024.

A shallow and significant MAG-5.2 earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 245 kilometer from Trujillo, Peru in the evening of Friday November 29th, 2024.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 225 kilometers (140 mi) off the coast of Peru, 245 kilometer west-southwest of Trujillo in La Libertad. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time: Nov 29, 2024 19:36 (Lima Time)
- Nov 30, 2024 00:36 Universal Time.
Location: 245 km WSW of Trujillo, La Libertad, Peru.
Coordinates 8°51'12"S 81°7'44"W.
Map: Map of area around epicenter.
Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude: MAG 5.2
Detected by 456 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.027 .
Depth: 10 km (6 mi)
A very shallow depth.
Tsunami Risk: Low tsunami risk
Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's.
Always stay cautious - More info here.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Peru . Santiago de Cao in La Libertad, Peru is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 230 kilometer (143 mi) west-southwest of Santiago de Cao.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Trujillo is located 245 km to the east-northeast. Chiclayo is located 272 km to the north-northeast. Chimbote is located 281 km to the east.

A complete list of nearby places is included below.

Overview of nearby places

Distance Place
230 km (143 mi)
ENE from epicenter
Santiago de Cao

La Libertad, Peru.
236 km (147 mi)
NE from epicenter
Pacasmayo

La Libertad, Peru.
237 km (147 mi)
ENE from epicenter
Paiján

La Libertad, Peru.
239 km (149 mi)
NE from epicenter
San Pedro de Lloc

La Libertad, Peru.
241 km (150 mi)
ENE from epicenter
Chocope

La Libertad, Peru.
245 km (152 mi)
ENE from epicenter
Moche

La Libertad, Peru.
245 km (152 mi)
ENE from epicenter
Trujillo

La Libertad, Peru.
253 km (157 mi)
ENE from epicenter
Laredo

La Libertad, Peru.
254 km (158 mi)
NE from epicenter
Guadalupe

La Libertad, Peru.
260 km (162 mi)
NNE from epicenter
Monsefú

Lambayeque, Peru.
260 km (162 mi)
NNE from epicenter
Pimentel

Lambayeque, Peru.
261 km (162 mi)
NE from epicenter
Chepén

La Libertad, Peru.
266 km (165 mi)
E from epicenter
Virú

La Libertad, Peru.
272 km (169 mi)
NNE from epicenter
Chiclayo

Lambayeque, Peru.
274 km (170 mi)
NE from epicenter
Saña

Lambayeque, Peru.
275 km (171 mi)
NNE from epicenter
Lambayeque

Lambayeque, Peru.
277 km (172 mi)
E from epicenter
Coishco

Ancash, Peru.
281 km (175 mi)
NNE from epicenter
Picsi

Lambayeque, Peru.
281 km (175 mi)
E from epicenter
Chimbote

Ancash, Peru.
287 km (178 mi)
NNE from epicenter
Ferreñafe

Lambayeque, Peru.
287 km (178 mi)
NE from epicenter
Pátapo

Lambayeque, Peru.
Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.

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:

  • Santa, Ancash, Peru: 1 person.
  • Lima, Lima Provincias, Peru: 1 person.
  • Trujillo, La Libertad, Peru: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

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.

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

This is the strongest earthquake in 3 years

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 29th, 2021, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 140 km (87 mi) further east-northeast. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 6 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 2 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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 02/12/24 23:48 (). 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 us7000nv14
  2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241130_0000007
  3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
  4. Google Maps: Static API
  5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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