QuakeScout
Magnitude2.8

Reported by EMSC19d ago

M2.8 earthquake in South Africa

Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 15:40:39 UTC · 25.406°S, 28.026°E

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck in South Africa on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 15:40:39 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow).

Magnitude
2.8
Minor · m
Depth
10 km
Shallow
Reported by
EMSC
Agency SASN
Nearest tracker
460 km
from Maputo

Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

239 kg of TNT

That is about 1/63,000 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 1,995 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

30 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Somali and African plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

10 km

Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.

After the main event

Aftershocks within 50 km

USGS and EMSC list 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km since this event; the largest was M2.1 on September 14, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M31h6h1d3d7d14dMainshock M2.8
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 2.1South Africa13d ago · 31 km NW of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 30 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 5.712 km WNW of Westonaria, South AfricaMay 14, 1974 · 108 km SW of this epicenter
  2. 5.55 km NNW of Orkney, South AfricaApril 7, 1977 · 218 km SW of this epicenter
  3. 5.43 km ESE of Orkney, South AfricaAugust 5, 2014 · 220 km SW of this epicenter
  4. 5.30 km NE of Orkney, South AfricaOctober 28, 1986 · 221 km SW of this epicenter
  5. 5.212 km SE of Orkney, South AfricaDecember 19, 1973 · 222 km SW of this epicenter
  6. 5.227 km N of Klerksdorp, South AfricaSeptember 30, 1973 · 194 km SW of this epicenter
  7. 5.25 km SSE of Orkney, South AfricaFebruary 10, 1997 · 223 km SW of this epicenter
  8. 5.25 km NNW of Klerksdorp, South AfricaJanuary 5, 1988 · 208 km SW of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 37 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1997M5.0

    Avgold'S Hartebeestfontein Mine

    21 Jul 1997 · 214 km away

    15 deaths

  2. 1990M4.0

    Charletonville

    18 Oct 1990 · 129 km away

    10 deaths

  3. 2018M2.1

    West Rand

    3 May 2018 · 122 km away

    7 deaths

  4. 2005M4.3

    Klerksdorp, Stilfontein

    9 Mar 2005 · 208 km away

    2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  5. 2009M3.5

    Carletonville

    6 Dec 2009 · 124 km away

    2 deaths

  6. 2014M5.4

    Orkney

    5 Aug 2014 · 220 km away · intensity VII

    1 death$40 million damage

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers

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