1746 Lima-Callao earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 1746 Lima-Callao earthquake occurred at 22:30 local time on 28 October (03:30 UTC
on 29 October). The epicenter
was located about 90 km north-northwest from Lima. It caused almost complete destruction of the capital Lima
and the subsequent tsunami
devastated the port city of Callao
. It was the deadliest earthquake in Peru’s history prior to the 1970 earthquake
.
, was the largest to strike central Peru in recorded history, and the second largest of all time, after the 1868 Arica earthquake
in the south of the country. Significant damage from the earthquake affected an area of about 44,000 square kilometers and it was felt up to 750 km away. The estimated rupture length was 350 km. There were at least 200 aftershocks observed in the first 24 hours after the mainshock, out of a total of 1,700 recorded in the following 112 days, although they caused no further casualties or significant damage.
where the Nazca Plate
is subducting
beneath the South American Plate
at a rate of 61 mm per year. It has been the location for many large and damaging earthquakes since historical records began, most of which triggered devastating tsunamis. The southern segment of the Peruvian part of this plate boundary is affected by the presence of the Nazca
aseismic ridge, on the downgoing plate. It also marks a major change in the subduction geometry between 'flat-slab' subduction to the northwest and normally dipping subduction to the southeast. The ridge appears to act as a barrier to rupture propagation, reducing the potential earthquake magnitude. The 1746 earthquake is interpreted to be a megathrust event
that ruptured the whole of the northern segment of the plate interface within this zone.
in 3–4 minutes, and also destroyed Callao
and everything else along the central Peruvian coast from Chancay
in the north to Canete
in the south. In Lima, all offices and all 74 churches were either damaged or destroyed leaving just 25 of the original 3,000 houses standing. Only 1,141 out of the population of 60,000 died in Lima from the earthquake shaking, despite the amount of damage. This is attributed to the intensity of the shaking increasing as the earthquake went on, giving the inhabitants the chance to escape. The total number of casualties, including those from the tsunami, was almost 6,000, although some chroniclers give higher figures for Lima, partly due to the inclusion of the effects of subsequent epidemics.
, which reached the coast half an hour following the shock, causing great damage at all Peruvian ports. Callao was worst affected, with a 24 meter runup, and 5 kilometer inundation that destroyed all 23 vessels that were in its harbor. Callao's walls were destroyed and the city was inundated, killing most of the 5–6,000 inhabitants, leaving less than two hundred survivors. Those that tried to escape inland were overtaken by the wave. Eyewitness accounts indicate two waves, the first of which was up to 80 feet high (24 m). Four of the boats were carried across the ruined port and thrown up to nearly a mile inland, including the warships Fermín and San Antonio. The port city of Pisco
was destroyed, despite having been rebuilt further inland after the devastating tsunami that accompanied the 1687 Peru earthquake
. The tsunami was also noticed at Acapulco
, Mexico
. Other particularly devastating tsunamis have occurred in Peru in 1586, 1604, and 1868
.
. A key part of these proposals was to restrict buildings to a single storey and widen the roads, but the plans were diluted following opposition from groups within the city and second floors were allowed as long as they used bamboo in their construction rather than adobe bricks.
In 1817, seventy years after the earthquake and the tsunami, the Russian-American Company
employee, head of the Sitka office, Kiril Timofeevich Khlebnikov (1784–1838) visited Callao. His account of the events of what happened on 28 October 1746 may have slight factual mistakes, but he is generally considered a good witness of things he saw with his own eyes, and his attitude in writing history is characterised as sober and realistic. It is also known that he kept a diary. Khlebnikov wrote in his memoirs:
survived the earthquake intact, it became a special object of veneration in the city. There is an annual procession in which the image is carried through the streets of Lima, and it is customary for the faithful to wear purple during the month of October in commemoration.
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
on 29 October). The epicenter
Epicenter
The epicenter or epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or underground explosion originates...
was located about 90 km north-northwest from Lima. It caused almost complete destruction of the capital Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
and the subsequent tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
devastated the port city of Callao
Callao
Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...
. It was the deadliest earthquake in Peru’s history prior to the 1970 earthquake
1970 Ancash earthquake
The 1970 Ancash earthquake or Great Peruvian Earthquake was an undersea earthquake that occurred on May 31 of that year. Combined with a resultant landslide, it was the worst catastrophic natural disaster ever recorded in the history of Peru....
.
Earthquake
The earthquake, with an estimated magnitude of 8.6–8.8 MwMoment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
, was the largest to strike central Peru in recorded history, and the second largest of all time, after the 1868 Arica earthquake
1868 Arica earthquake
The 1868 Arica earthquake was an earthquake that occurred on August 13, 1868, near Arica, then part of Peru, now part of Chile, at 21:30 UTC. It had an estimated magnitude between 8.5 and 9.0...
in the south of the country. Significant damage from the earthquake affected an area of about 44,000 square kilometers and it was felt up to 750 km away. The estimated rupture length was 350 km. There were at least 200 aftershocks observed in the first 24 hours after the mainshock, out of a total of 1,700 recorded in the following 112 days, although they caused no further casualties or significant damage.
Tectonic setting
Peru lies above the convergent boundaryConvergent boundary
In plate tectonics, a convergent boundary, also known as a destructive plate boundary , is an actively deforming region where two tectonic plates or fragments of lithosphere move toward one another and collide...
where the Nazca Plate
Nazca Plate
]The Nazca Plate, named after the Nazca region of southern Peru, is an oceanic tectonic plate in the eastern Pacific Ocean basin off the west coast of South America. The ongoing subduction along the Peru-Chile Trench of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate is largely responsible for the...
is subducting
Subduction
In geology, subduction is the process that takes place at convergent boundaries by which one tectonic plate moves under another tectonic plate, sinking into the Earth's mantle, as the plates converge. These 3D regions of mantle downwellings are known as "Subduction Zones"...
beneath the South American Plate
South American Plate
The South American Plate is a continental tectonic plate which includes the continent of South America and also a sizeable region of the Atlantic Ocean seabed extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge....
at a rate of 61 mm per year. It has been the location for many large and damaging earthquakes since historical records began, most of which triggered devastating tsunamis. The southern segment of the Peruvian part of this plate boundary is affected by the presence of the Nazca
Nazca Ridge
The Nazca Ridge is an ocean ridge in the southern Pacific Ocean. It lies on the Nazca Plate and is being subducted in the Peru-Chile Trench under the South American Plate by ongoing plate motion....
aseismic ridge, on the downgoing plate. It also marks a major change in the subduction geometry between 'flat-slab' subduction to the northwest and normally dipping subduction to the southeast. The ridge appears to act as a barrier to rupture propagation, reducing the potential earthquake magnitude. The 1746 earthquake is interpreted to be a megathrust event
Megathrust earthquake
Megathrust earthquakes occur at subduction zones at destructive plate boundaries , where one tectonic plate is forced under another. Due to the shallow dip of the plate boundary, which causes large sections to get stuck, these earthquakes are among the world's largest, with moment magnitudes ...
that ruptured the whole of the northern segment of the plate interface within this zone.
Earthquake
The earthquake completely destroyed the cities of LimaLima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
in 3–4 minutes, and also destroyed Callao
Callao
Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...
and everything else along the central Peruvian coast from Chancay
Chancay
Chancay is a small city in the Lima Region of Peru. Its population is 26,958....
in the north to Canete
Cañete
Cañete is a city and commune in Chile in Arauco Province, Biobío Region. It's located 135 km to the south of Concepción.-History:In 1552, Pedro de Valdivia founded the Tucapel Fort, near the present city of Cañete. In 1553, after destroying the fort, the native Mapuche defeated the Spanish...
in the south. In Lima, all offices and all 74 churches were either damaged or destroyed leaving just 25 of the original 3,000 houses standing. Only 1,141 out of the population of 60,000 died in Lima from the earthquake shaking, despite the amount of damage. This is attributed to the intensity of the shaking increasing as the earthquake went on, giving the inhabitants the chance to escape. The total number of casualties, including those from the tsunami, was almost 6,000, although some chroniclers give higher figures for Lima, partly due to the inclusion of the effects of subsequent epidemics.
Tsunami
The earthquake triggered a tsunamiTsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
, which reached the coast half an hour following the shock, causing great damage at all Peruvian ports. Callao was worst affected, with a 24 meter runup, and 5 kilometer inundation that destroyed all 23 vessels that were in its harbor. Callao's walls were destroyed and the city was inundated, killing most of the 5–6,000 inhabitants, leaving less than two hundred survivors. Those that tried to escape inland were overtaken by the wave. Eyewitness accounts indicate two waves, the first of which was up to 80 feet high (24 m). Four of the boats were carried across the ruined port and thrown up to nearly a mile inland, including the warships Fermín and San Antonio. The port city of Pisco
Pisco, Peru
Pisco is a city located in the Ica Region of Peru, the capital of the Pisco Province. The city is around 9 metres above sea level. Originally the villa of Pisco was founded in 1640, close to the indigenous emplacement of the same name...
was destroyed, despite having been rebuilt further inland after the devastating tsunami that accompanied the 1687 Peru earthquake
1687 Peru earthquake
The 1687 Peru earthquake occurred at 11:30 UTC on October 20. It had an estimated magnitude of 8.4–8.7 and caused severe damage to Lima, Callao and Ica. It triggered a tsunami and overall about 5,000 people died.-Tectonic setting:...
. The tsunami was also noticed at Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Other particularly devastating tsunamis have occurred in Peru in 1586, 1604, and 1868
1868 Arica earthquake
The 1868 Arica earthquake was an earthquake that occurred on August 13, 1868, near Arica, then part of Peru, now part of Chile, at 21:30 UTC. It had an estimated magnitude between 8.5 and 9.0...
.
Aftermath
The rebuilding of Lima was planned by Jose Antonio Manso de Velasco then the viceroy of Peru, with the help of the French mathematician Louis GodinLouis Godin
Louis Godin was a French astronomer and member of the French Academy of Sciences. He worked in Peru, Spain, Portugal and France.-Biography:...
. A key part of these proposals was to restrict buildings to a single storey and widen the roads, but the plans were diluted following opposition from groups within the city and second floors were allowed as long as they used bamboo in their construction rather than adobe bricks.
In 1817, seventy years after the earthquake and the tsunami, the Russian-American Company
Russian-American Company
The Russian-American Company was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the so-called Shelekhov-Golikov Company of Grigory Shelekhov and Ivan Larionovich Golikov The Russian-American Company (officially: Under His Imperial Majesty's Highest Protection (patronage)...
employee, head of the Sitka office, Kiril Timofeevich Khlebnikov (1784–1838) visited Callao. His account of the events of what happened on 28 October 1746 may have slight factual mistakes, but he is generally considered a good witness of things he saw with his own eyes, and his attitude in writing history is characterised as sober and realistic. It is also known that he kept a diary. Khlebnikov wrote in his memoirs:
Remembrance
Because the mural of the Lord of MiraclesLord of Miracles
Lord of Miracles is a mural painted of Jesus Christ that is venerated in Lima, Peru. It is the main Catholic festivity in Peru and one of the biggest processions around the world....
survived the earthquake intact, it became a special object of veneration in the city. There is an annual procession in which the image is carried through the streets of Lima, and it is customary for the faithful to wear purple during the month of October in commemoration.