M6.1 earthquake hits near the coast of Peru following M7.2 on June 28

A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit near the coast of central Peru at 07:05 UTC on June 29, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 19.3 km (12 miles).

The quake follows M7.2 at 05:36 UTC on June 28, at a depth of 28 km (17.4 miles). The same region 3 other notable aftershocks — M4.7 at 05:52 UTC on June 28, M4.4 at 07:05 UTC on June 28, and M5.3 at 07:22 UTC on June 29.

The epicenter of today’s M6.1 was located 35 km (22 miles) SSW of yesterday’s M7.2 quake, 43 km (26.7 miles) SSW of Atiquipa (population 137), 104.8 km (65.1 miles) SE San Juan (population 12 795), and 116.2 km (72.2 mi) SSE of Minas de Marcona (population 15 478), Peru.

22 000 people are estimated to have felt moderate shaking, 190 000 light and 104 000 weak.

The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.

Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are mud wall and reinforced/confined masonry construction.

Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.

M7.2 earthquake that hit Peru on June 28, left a total of 8 people injured, of which 3 with minor injuries. Five people have been treated in nearby hospitals.

Structural damage was reported in some districts, according to the government of Arequipa.

The mayor of Yauca district said some walls of houses collapsed.

Power and telecommunications outages were reported near the epicenter.

Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking

Selected cities exposed

Regional seismicity

Featured image credit: TW/SAM, Google