Today in Earthquake History

On June 23rd...

• M8.4 - Near Coast of Southern Peru, 2001

  At least 75 people killed, including 26 killed by a tsunami, 2,687 injured, 17,510 homes destroyed and 35,549 homes damaged in the Arequipa-Camana-Tacna area. An additional 64 people missing due to the tsunami in the Camana-Chala area. Landslides blocked highways in the epicentral area. Many of the historic buildings at Arequipa were damaged or destroyed. Some people injured and damage reported in the Arica, Chile area. Felt (VIII) at Arica, (VI) at Iquique, (V) at Calama and (III) at Tocopilla, Chile.

  Felt strongly in much of southern Peru and northern Chile. Also felt in Bolivia. Tsunami runup heights near Camana are estimated from field evidence to have reached approximately 7m at some locations; at other locations, the tsunami inundation distance extended more than 1 km inland from the coast. Tsunami wave heights (peak-to-trough) recorded from selected tide stations: 2.5m at Arica; 1.5m at Iquique; 1.0m at Coquimbo, Chile.

• M7.3 - Vancouver Island, Canada, 1946

  Vancouver Island's largest historic earthquake. Heavy damage occurred in the epicentral area. The Canadian Hydrographic Department reported the bottom of Deep Bay in the Strait of Georgia sank from about 3 to 25 m. A 3-m vertical ground shift occurred on Read Island, and ground settlements as much as 30.5 m were observed at other points.
  In the United States, some chimneys fell at East Sound, San Juan County, Washington; a concrete mill was damaged at Port Angeles; and buildings were damaged slightly at Northport, Port Townsend, and to the south as far as Olympia. At Seattle, plaster fell in the County-City Building, and a few bricks fell from the Sears-Roebuck Building. Also felt at several towns in Oregon.
  Abridged from Seismicity of the United States, 1568-1989 (Revised), by Carl W. Stover and Jerry L. Coffman, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1527, United States Government Printing Office, Washington: 1993.