This undersea earthquake generated recorded tsunami waves across coastal and trans-oceanic sectors. Preserved in seismic archive for scientific reference — no active hazard exists.
A magnitude 7.8 (MW) earthquake occurred on 2016-04-16, 18:58 local time (23:58 UTC) (3840d ago), centered 67 km SW of Esmeraldas (Ecuador). The hypocenter was located at a shallow depth of 20.6 km. Primary telemetry verified by USGS alongside 1 regional seismic monitoring networks.
Curated Global Seismic Archive (1700–Present)
7.56 Mt TNT
shallow (Shallow crustal)
Injuries: > 5,000 · ~18M felt
Timeline of foreshocks, main rupture, aftershocks and machine learning risk probability evolution.
Shaking intensity is modelled from magnitude, depth and distance (GMPE attenuation), not reported by residents.
| Town | Distance | Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| Esmeraldas · Esmeraldas | 67 km | MMI VIII |
| Chone · Manabi | 121 km | MMI VII |
| San Lorenzo · Esmeraldas | 154 km | MMI VII |
| Portoviejo · Manabi | 171 km | MMI VII |
| Quito · Pichincha | 171 km | MMI VII |
| Manta · Manabi | 176 km | MMI VII |
Independent solutions for the same rupture. Differences of 0.1–0.3 in magnitude are normal and reflect method and station coverage.
| Agency | Source ID | Magnitude | Depth | Epicenter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
USGS Primary | us20005j32 | M 7.8 | 20.6 km | 0.38, -79.92 |
Nearest mapped active fault: MACHE_FAULT, 5 km away, slip rate ~15.0 mm/yr (GEM Global Active Faults).