The 1966 Peru earthquake occurred on October 17 at 16:41 local time (21:41 UTC). It had a magnitude of 8.1. The epicenter was located offcoast near
Huacho
Huacho () is a city in Peru, capital of the Huaura Province and capital of the Lima Region. Also is the most populated city of the Lima Region and Norte Chico. It is located 223 feet (68 metres) above sea level and 148 km north of the city o ...
. About 100 people were reported dead. Most of the damage was recorded in low buildings. Cracks were reported in higher buildings. The maximum
Mercalli intensity (MMI) was MMI IX in San Nicolás, MMI VIII in Huacho, and MMI VII in
Callao
Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists of the whole Call ...
.
Landslides and huge ground cracks were reported along the
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway (french: (Auto)route panaméricaine/transaméricaine; pt, Rodovia/Auto-estrada Pan-americana; es, Autopista/Carretera/Ruta Panamericana) is a network of roads stretching across the Americas and measuring about in ...
north of Ancón.
See also
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List of earthquakes in 1966
*
List of earthquakes in Peru
Earthquakes in Peru are common occurrences as the country is located in a seismic zone. The interface between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates is located near the Peruvian coast. The South American Plate is moving over the Nazca Plate ...
References
External links
*
The source mechanism of the earthquake and tsunami of October 17, 1966 in Peru– George Pararas-Carayannis
{{Earthquakes in Peru
Peru earthquake, 1966
Megathrust earthquakes in Peru
1966 in Peru
Tsunamis in Peru
1960s tsunamis
1966 disasters in Peru