Reviewed by USGS4y ago
M5.3 earthquake in South Sandwich Islands region
Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 19:17:58 UTC · 58.445°S, 26.215°W
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck in South Sandwich Islands region on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 19:17:58 UTC, at a depth of 101.7 km (intermediate). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on June 27, 2022.
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 102 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
1 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/11 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 3 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
135 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sandwich and South American plates. Earthquakes this far from a boundary happen on faults inside a plate, often less frequently but sometimes strongly.
Depth: intermediate
102 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 11 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.1 on July 22, 2022. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 5.0South Sandwich Islands region4y ago · 64 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.3South Sandwich Islands region4y ago · 11 km NE of this epicenter
- 5.1South Sandwich Islands region4y ago · 73 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.7South Sandwich Islands region4y ago · 72 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.6South Sandwich Islands region4y ago · 65 km E of this epicenter
- 4.7South Sandwich Islands region4y ago · 60 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.0South Sandwich Islands region4y ago · 69 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.2South Sandwich Islands region4y ago · 72 km NE of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,782 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.12021 South Sandwich Islands EarthquakeAugust 12, 2021 · 56 km E of this epicenter
- 7.8South Sandwich Islands regionMay 26, 1964 · 251 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5South Sandwich Islands regionAugust 12, 2021 · 120 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.5South Sandwich Islands regionAugust 28, 1933 · 207 km S of this epicenter
- 7.3South Sandwich Islands regionSeptember 1, 1961 · 98 km S of this epicenter
- 7.3South Sandwich Islands regionJuly 15, 2013 · 276 km S of this epicenter
- 7.2South Sandwich Islands regionNovember 15, 1910 · 150 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2South Sandwich Islands regionDecember 27, 1991 · 274 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 2021M8.1
South Sandwich Islands
12 Aug 2021 · 52 km away
tsunami
- 1961M7.7
South Sandwich Islands
5 Sep 1961 · 68 km away
- 1961M7.7
South Sandwich Islands
8 Sep 1961 · 251 km away
- 1961M7.5
South Sandwich Islands
1 Sep 1961 · 133 km away
- 2021M7.5
South Sandwich Islands
12 Aug 2021 · 112 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.