Reviewed by USGS4y ago
M5.6 earthquake in Easter Island region
Sunday, July 17, 2022, 23:20:46 UTC · 22.445°S, 114.231°W
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck in Easter Island region on Sunday, July 17, 2022, 23:20:46 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.6 on July 12, 2022.
- Magnitude
- 5.6
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No 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
4 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/4 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 8 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
28 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Easter and Pacific 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.
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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.4 on July 19, 2022. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 127 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.9Easter Island regionSeptember 5, 1996 · 90 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.8Easter Island regionJuly 12, 2022 · 16 km S of this epicenter
- 6.5Easter Island regionNovember 2, 1932 · 209 km E of this epicenter
- 6.3southern East Pacific RiseApril 8, 1954 · 124 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.3Easter Island regionJuly 23, 1956 · 270 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.2southern East Pacific RiseFebruary 20, 1951 · 127 km N of this epicenter
- 6.2southern East Pacific RiseJuly 26, 1976 · 110 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.2Easter Island regionSeptember 5, 1996 · 126 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 1 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1996M6.9
Easter Island Region
5 Sep 1996 · 90 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.