BOLIVIA · SCIENCE
Key Facts
- Power Index Bolivia ranks 12th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 28.4 points (October 2026 edition).
- What is happening The San Calixto Observatory, Bolivia’s Jesuit-run quake monitor, recorded two quakes on 2 November: magnitude 3.5 in Potosí and magnitude 4.3 in Cochabamba.
- Why it matters It has monitored Bolivian earthquakes since 1 May 1913, and its public list is where each quake’s time, place, depth and magnitude can be checked.
- The numbers Founded in 1913, it runs 12 stations today, and its 25 newest list entries, from 17 October to 2 November, include three of magnitude 4.3 or higher.
- Who is who A private non-profit and part of the Jesuits, a Catholic order, it is funded only by international cooperation agreements signed directly with it.
- What to watch Whether it posts a special report, its fuller write-up of local shaking effects, on either 2 November quake; none was posted by 3 November.
- What it means for you Read the list for time, depth and magnitude, treat first numbers as preliminary, and compare with the US Geological Survey, the American federal quake agency, for larger events.
The San Calixto Observatory in La Paz has tracked Bolivia’s earthquakes since 1913 and issued the two 2 November reports. This guide explains who runs it, how it works and how to read its numbers.
The San Calixto Observatory is the Jesuit-run institute that records and publishes Bolivia’s earthquakes from its base in La Paz. It supplied the data for Monday’s two quakes, covered in the Rio Times news report on the Bolivia earthquakes.
For a US reader the practical question is how far to trust a number from a small Andean institution. The answer is that this one has a long record, international partners and a public list anyone can check.
Who Runs the San Calixto Observatory
Its formal name is the Fundación Privada de Fieles Observatorio San Calixto, a private non-profit among the works of the Jesuits. The Jesuits are the Catholic religious order known for running schools and scientific institutions worldwide.
It was founded on the recommendation of an international seismology assembly held in Manchester, England, in July 1911. It began work on 1 May 1913, with its first quake recorder in the crypt of the Colegio San Calixto school.
The observatory says it is supported only by international cooperation agreements signed directly with it. Its stated mission is seismic monitoring in Bolivia for the benefit of society and science.
Early on it also kept Bolivia’s official time, a role a 1922 decree gave it until 1985. The International Seismological Centre, a UK charity that gathers world quake data, recalls a 1949 verdict.
Seismologists Gutenberg and Richter called its La Paz station one of the world’s most important. The observatory marked its 100th anniversary with a workshop in La Paz in 2013.
How the Observatory Tracks Quakes
The observatory says 12 seismic stations are working today, after a rebuild that began in 2016 with broadband sensors and strong-motion recorders. Broadband sensors catch faint, distant ground motion, while strong-motion recorders measure violent shaking close to a quake.
Its network carries the international code BV in the global federation of seismograph networks. Its data go to research institutions, though not in real time.
Bolivia’s state named the observatory in 2002 to run its National Data Centre for a global nuclear-test monitoring system. That role brings three certified stations: one primary seismic, one auxiliary seismic and one infrasound station near Lake Titicaca.
How to Read the Two Reports
Each entry on its public list gives a date, local time, latitude, longitude, depth in kilometres, magnitude and province. Bolivia is four hours behind UTC, so on 2 November 11:48 a.m. in La Paz was 10:48 a.m. in New York.
Magnitude measures the energy a quake released, while intensity describes how strongly people felt it and what it damaged. The observatory’s glossary keeps the two apart, and its lists give only magnitude.
The 3.5 quake in Sud Lípez, Potosí, lay 188.5 km deep, while the 4.3 quake in Carrasco, Cochabamba, lay 27.3 km deep. Depth matters because a deep quake loses force on the way up, and a shallow one does not.
Of the 25 newest entries on its list, 17 fall in Potosí and 20 lie deeper than 100 km. That pattern points to the sinking Nazca plate under south-western Bolivia, so a deep quake like the 3.5 fits.
What the Observatory Says About Quake Myths
Its public guidance says no method can yet predict a quake’s date, place, depth and size in advance. It also says animal behaviour, weather and planetary alignments do not predict quakes.
It adds that a quake is only “felt” when it is strong enough and someone is there to notice it. That is why small, deep quakes can appear on its list without any public reaction.
The observatory also says Bolivia is not free of strong quakes, naming Aiquile in 1998 as a significant one. It lists a magnitude 8.2 event near Rurrenabaque in June 1994 as Bolivia’s largest by instrumental calculation.
What It Means for You
Travellers can use the observatory’s list and its guidance for what to do in a quake, both free and public. Its page also carries a seismic emergency phone number, which travellers can save before an Andean trip.
Investors in Bolivian mining or infrastructure can check depth and magnitude before assuming a quake matters. The Rio Times guide to Bolivia’s role in Latin America covers the lithium and trade picture.
The observatory is based in La Paz, and wider context is in the Bolivia politics guide. More is on the Bolivia hub.
What Is Not Known
The observatory has not said how many people felt either quake, and its public list carries no intensity data for them. No special report on either quake had been posted by Tuesday, 3 November.
The observatory’s own pages give no budget or staff numbers. First list entries are preliminary, and final magnitudes are not yet known.
The US Geological Survey lists neither quake, a normal gap for small events. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, a quake-reporting body, credits the observatory for Potosí but gives its own magnitude 4.4 for Cochabamba.
What Comes Next
The observatory updates its list as new data arrive and revises reports as it analyses them. Magnitudes and depths for the 2 November quakes can therefore still change slightly.
A special report, if one comes, would add the quake’s effects on people and ground motion data. Its absence for a small quake is normal and does not mean a problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the San Calixto Observatory?
It is a private, non-profit seismology institute in La Paz run by the Jesuits. It has monitored Bolivian earthquakes since 1 May 1913.
How does the observatory measure earthquakes?
It runs 12 working seismic stations across Bolivia and analyses their signals to fix each quake’s time, place, depth and magnitude. Its network code is BV.
Is the observatory part of the Bolivian government?
No, it is a private foundation, though the state named it in 2002 to run Bolivia’s National Data Centre for nuclear-test monitoring. It is funded by international cooperation agreements.
Why does the US Geological Survey not list the 2 November quakes?
Its catalogue is built for larger events worldwide, so quakes of magnitude 3.5 and 4.3 in Bolivia often fall below its threshold. The observatory lists both.
Can the observatory predict earthquakes?
No, and nobody else can yet. Its public guidance says science cannot predict a quake’s date, place, depth and size, so it urges preparation.
Sources: Observatorio San Calixto, La Paz, public list of seismic events and institutional profile; Observatorio San Calixto, history, stations and time service; Observatorio San Calixto, National Data Centre for nuclear-test monitoring; Observatorio San Calixto, frequently asked questions on earthquakes; International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks, network BV; International Seismological Centre, 100 years of the Observatory of San Calixto; US Geological Survey, earthquake catalogue query for Bolivia, 2 to 4 November 2026 (all accessed 3 November 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief