Reviewed by USGS11y ago
M6.2 earthquake in South Sandwich Islands region
Monday, February 16, 2015, 22:00:53 UTC · 55.520°S, 28.259°W
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck in South Sandwich Islands region on Monday, February 16, 2015, 22:00:53 UTC, at a depth of 13.0 km (shallow). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.9 on June 29, 2014.
Tsunami flagUSGS sets this flag for large events in oceanic regions so tsunami warning centers review them. It does not by itself mean a tsunami occurred. Check tsunami.gov and local authorities for official messages.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · mww
- Depth
- 13 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Max intensity I
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- Flag
- Check tsunami.gov
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
30 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 63 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
53 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Sandwich and South American plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
13 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 100 km
USGS lists 8 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.3 on February 17, 2015. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.6South Sandwich Islands region11y ago · 73 km E of this epicenter
- 4.1South Sandwich Islands region11y ago · 30 km NW of this epicenter
- 4.6South Sandwich Islands region11y ago · 79 km E of this epicenter
- 4.6South Sandwich Islands region11y ago · 88 km E of this epicenter
- 4.6South Sandwich Islands region11y ago · 89 km SE of this epicenter
- 4.4South Sandwich Islands region11y ago · 6 km W of this epicenter
- 5.3South Sandwich Islands region11y ago · 14 km N of this epicenter
- 4.4South Sandwich Islands region11y ago · 15 km SW of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 898 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11929 South Sandwich Islands EarthquakeJune 27, 1929 · 70 km W of this epicenter
- 7.8South Sandwich Islands regionMay 26, 1964 · 97 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2South Sandwich Islands regionDecember 27, 1991 · 196 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1South Sandwich Islands regionSeptember 8, 1961 · 107 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.9South Sandwich Islands regionAugust 18, 1930 · 35 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.9South Sandwich Islands regionSeptember 13, 1921 · 28 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.9South Sandwich Islands regionSeptember 6, 2004 · 48 km W of this epicenter
- 6.9South Sandwich Islands regionJune 29, 2014 · 9 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 3 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1929M8.1
South Sandwich Islands
27 Jun 1929 · 70 km away
- 1961M7.7
South Sandwich Islands
5 Sep 1961 · 286 km away
- 1961M7.7
South Sandwich Islands
8 Sep 1961 · 102 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.