M 8.0 - 95 km N of San Antonio del Estrecho, Peru
- 1970-07-31 17:08:05 (UTC)
- 1.597°S 72.532°W
- 644.8 km depth
ShakeMap
One killed and several injured. Buildings trembled in the capital cities of San Juan, Bogota, Caracas, Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires. Light damage was noted in Peru. A combination of great depth (651 km) and high magnitude caused the very wide felt area, but limited more serious effects. Felt from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Mexico City, Mexico, and throughout the Caribbean.
Abridged from Earthquake Information Bulletin, Volume 2, Number 6, and United States Earthquakes, 1970.
"The last great, deep earthquake struck below Colombia in 1970 and led to unprecedented discoveries about Earth's interior. After that jolt, scientists set up networks of seismometers capable of detecting the long-period vibrations of the normal modes. Then they waited."