Reviewed by USGS12y ago
M6.9 earthquake in South Sandwich Islands region
Sunday, June 29, 2014, 07:52:55 UTC · 55.470°S, 28.367°W
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck in South Sandwich Islands region on Sunday, June 29, 2014, 07:52:55 UTC, at a depth of 8.0 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 September 6, 2004.
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
- 6.9
- Strong · mww
- Depth
- 8 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (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
338 kilotons of TNT
That is about 22 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 708 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
49 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
8 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 141 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.0 on June 29, 2014. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 4.5South Sandwich Islands region12y ago · 17 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.1South Sandwich Islands region12y ago · 39 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.1South Sandwich Islands region12y ago · 61 km E of this epicenter
- 4.4South Sandwich Islands region12y ago · 76 km S of this epicenter
- 4.8South Sandwich Islands region12y ago · 60 km E of this epicenter
- 4.6South Sandwich Islands region12y ago · 57 km E of this epicenter
- 4.0South Sandwich Islands region12y ago · 33 km E of this epicenter
- 4.3South Sandwich Islands region12y ago · 40 km E of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 861 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 · 63 km W of this epicenter
- 7.8South Sandwich Islands regionMay 26, 1964 · 105 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2South Sandwich Islands regionDecember 27, 1991 · 204 km E of this epicenter
- 7.1South Sandwich Islands regionSeptember 8, 1961 · 115 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.9South Sandwich Islands regionAugust 18, 1930 · 43 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.9South Sandwich Islands regionSeptember 13, 1921 · 25 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.9South Sandwich Islands regionSeptember 6, 2004 · 40 km W of this epicenter
- 6.8South Sandwich Islands regionNovember 2, 1943 · 203 km SE 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 · 63 km away
- 1961M7.7
South Sandwich Islands
5 Sep 1961 · 293 km away
- 1961M7.7
South Sandwich Islands
8 Sep 1961 · 111 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.