7.2-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Peru

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Peru early Friday and was felt as far as the capital, Lima, about 600 miles away, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The quake struck about a mile off the coast of Peru’s Arequipa region at 12:36 a.m. local time, the U.S.G.S. said. Peruvian authorities issued a tsunami alert on the country’s coast and warned that waves could reach the town of Puerto Atico by 12:52 a.m. local time.

After the quake, videos on social media showed furniture and security cameras shaking for nearly 30 seconds, as far away as Lima.

Aftershocks of magnitude 4.2 and 4.0 were also recorded off Arequipa, Peru’s National Seismological Center said.

Peru lies on a plate boundary that stretches across the western coast of South America. The world’s strongest recorded earthquake was a 9.6-magnitude temblor in 1960 along that boundary in Chile, the U.S.G.S. said.