Reported by EMSC5d ago
M2.7 earthquake in South Africa
Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 04:17:44 UTC · 26.960°S, 26.775°E
A magnitude 2.7 earthquake struck in South Africa on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 04:17:44 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 2.7
- Minor · m
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Reported by
- EMSC
- Agency SASN
- Nearest tracker
- 588 km
- from Maputo
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
169 kg of TNT
That is about 1/88,990 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 2,818 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
17 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 have not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km since this event.
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:
- 6.128 km N of Maputsoe, LesothoFebruary 20, 1912 · 214 km SE of this epicenter
- 5.712 km WNW of Westonaria, South AfricaMay 14, 1974 · 107 km NE of this epicenter
- 5.710 km WNW of Welkom, South AfricaApril 22, 1999 · 111 km S of this epicenter
- 5.66 km S of Welkom, South AfricaOctober 30, 1994 · 119 km S of this epicenter
- 5.55 km NNW of Orkney, South AfricaApril 7, 1977 · 12 km W of this epicenter
- 5.50 km S of Welkom, South AfricaJanuary 25, 1989 · 114 km S of this epicenter
- 5.43 km ESE of Orkney, South AfricaAugust 5, 2014 · 8 km SW of this epicenter
- 5.35 km SSE of Welkom, South AfricaJune 6, 1992 · 118 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:
- 1997M5.0
Avgold'S Hartebeestfontein Mine
21 Jul 1997 · 19 km away
15 deaths
- 1990M4.0
Charletonville
18 Oct 1990 · 85 km away
10 deaths
- 2018M2.1
West Rand
3 May 2018 · 95 km away
7 deaths
- 1976M5.2
South Africa
8 Dec 1976 · 111 km away
4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 2005M4.3
Klerksdorp, Stilfontein
9 Mar 2005 · 5 km away
2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1990M4.2
Welkom
26 Sep 1990 · 117 km away
2 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.