Reviewed by USGS4y ago
M5.2 earthquake in South Sandwich Islands region
Wednesday, October 5, 2022, 16:17:18 UTC · 58.654°S, 25.179°W
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck in South Sandwich Islands region on Wednesday, October 5, 2022, 16:17:18 UTC, at a depth of 30.4 km (shallow). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.4 on October 3, 2022.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 30 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- III
- Weak (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
951 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
72 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
30 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 14 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.3 on October 25, 2022. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 5.0South Sandwich Islands region3y ago · 46 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.5South Sandwich Islands region3y ago · 53 km NE of this epicenter
- 4.8South Sandwich Islands region3y ago · 55 km W of this epicenter
- 6.3South Sandwich Islands region3y ago · 57 km W of this epicenter
- 4.3South Sandwich Islands region3y ago · 19 km E of this epicenter
- 5.2South Sandwich Islands region4y ago · 56 km SW of this epicenter
- 4.3South Sandwich Islands region4y ago · 61 km E of this epicenter
- 4.5South Sandwich Islands region4y ago · 15 km E of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 1,535 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 · 31 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8South Sandwich Islands regionMay 26, 1964 · 298 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.5South Sandwich Islands regionAugust 12, 2021 · 121 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5South Sandwich Islands regionAugust 28, 1933 · 208 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.3South Sandwich Islands regionSeptember 1, 1961 · 116 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.3South Sandwich Islands regionJuly 15, 2013 · 245 km S of this epicenter
- 7.2South Sandwich Islands regionNovember 15, 1910 · 87 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.2South Sandwich Islands regionDecember 27, 1991 · 292 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 · 28 km away
tsunami
- 1961M7.7
South Sandwich Islands
5 Sep 1961 · 129 km away
- 1961M7.7
South Sandwich Islands
8 Sep 1961 · 294 km away
- 1961M7.5
South Sandwich Islands
1 Sep 1961 · 153 km away
- 2021M7.5
South Sandwich Islands
12 Aug 2021 · 118 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.