A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck off Peru’s coast on Nov. 13, the day Pope Leo XIV arrived in the country. The area where he was located was not affected. (Foto: Instagram)
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck off Peru’s coast on Nov. 13, the same day Pope Leo XIV arrived in the country. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the quake at 11:43 a.m. local time. The area where the pope was located was not affected.
The epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean, about 79 kilometers west-southwest of Changuillo, in the Ica region. USGS technical data placed the earthquake at a depth of about 10 kilometers, considered shallow.
Despite its moderate magnitude and shallow depth, USGS monitoring models indicated low potential for damage on land. Estimates pointed to minimal or no risk of landslides or soil liquefaction along the coast, and no populations were identified as exposed to severe damage.
Peru lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area with high seismic and volcanic activity where earthquakes occur frequently along the country’s coastline. Earthquake magnitude is measured using seismic waves. The Richter scale, created in 1935, has no fixed minimum or maximum, though magnitudes are commonly described as ranging from below 1 to 10, with 10 representing the strongest earthquakes.
