QuakeScout
Magnitude2.1

Reported by EMSC10d ago

M2.1 earthquake in South Africa

Thursday, September 17, 2026, 04:22:43 UTC · 26.491°S, 27.445°E

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck in South Africa on Thursday, September 17, 2026, 04:22:43 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow).

Magnitude
2.1
Minor · m
Depth
10 km
Shallow
Reported by
EMSC
Agency SASN
Nearest tracker
515 km
from Maputo

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

In context

How big was it, and why here?

Energy released

21 kg of TNT

That is about 1/706,872 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 22,387 times more energy.

Tectonic setting

11 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 6 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km since this event; the largest was M2.9 on September 19, 2026. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.

M31h6h1d3d7dMainshock M2.1
Time after the mainshock on a logarithmic scale (first hours stretched), magnitude on the vertical axis. M2.5+ events from USGS.
  1. 2.4South Africa22h ago · 6 km NE of this epicenter
  2. 2.4South Africa7d ago · 14 km NW of this epicenter
  3. 2.9South Africa8d ago · 6 km W of this epicenter
  4. 2.4South Africa9d ago · 12 km NE of this epicenter
  5. 2.5South Africa9d ago · 3 km NW of this epicenter
  6. 2.8South Africa9d ago · 5 km W of this epicenter

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 40 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 6.128 km N of Maputsoe, LesothoFebruary 20, 1912 · 241 km S of this epicenter
  2. 5.712 km WNW of Westonaria, South AfricaMay 14, 1974 · 26 km N of this epicenter
  3. 5.710 km WNW of Welkom, South AfricaApril 22, 1999 · 181 km SW of this epicenter
  4. 5.66 km S of Welkom, South AfricaOctober 30, 1994 · 185 km S of this epicenter
  5. 5.55 km NNW of Orkney, South AfricaApril 7, 1977 · 93 km SW of this epicenter
  6. 5.50 km S of Welkom, South AfricaJanuary 25, 1989 · 180 km SW of this epicenter
  7. 5.43 km ESE of Orkney, South AfricaAugust 5, 2014 · 92 km SW of this epicenter
  8. 5.35 km SSE of Welkom, South AfricaJune 6, 1992 · 183 km S of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 8 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 43 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1997M5.0

    Avgold'S Hartebeestfontein Mine

    21 Jul 1997 · 92 km away

    15 deaths

  2. 1990M4.0

    Charletonville

    18 Oct 1990 · 15 km away

    10 deaths

  3. 2018M2.1

    West Rand

    3 May 2018 · 12 km away

    7 deaths

  4. 1976M5.2

    South Africa

    8 Dec 1976 · 180 km away

    4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  5. 2005M4.3

    Klerksdorp, Stilfontein

    9 Mar 2005 · 80 km away

    2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  6. 1990M4.2

    Welkom

    26 Sep 1990 · 184 km away

    2 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)

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

Nearby trackers

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