QuakeScout

Live country tracker · USGS and EMSC

Earthquakes in South Africa today

Live map and list of every M2.5+ earthquake in and around South Africa, the strongest of the month and the largest quakes on record.

No earthquakes in the past 24 hours

Was there an earthquake in South Africa today?

No M2.5+ earthquake has been published by USGS and EMSC in or around South Africa in the past 24 hours. The most recent was M2.7 on September 22, 2026 (South Africa).

2.7Latest in South AfricaSouth AfricaSeptember 22, 2026 · 5d ago · 10 km deep

Past 24 hours

0

Past 7 days

1

Past 30 days

25

Strongest · 30 days

M3.6South Africa

M5+ in the last ten years

5

Map & list

South Africa earthquake map

25 earthquakes · M2.5+ · 30 days

Sort:
  1. 2.7
  2. 2.9
  3. 2.9
  4. 2.5
  5. 2.8
  6. 2.6
  7. 3.2
  8. 3.2
  9. 3.6
  10. 2.9
  11. 2.9
  12. 2.6
  13. 2.7
  14. 2.8
  15. 2.8
  16. 3.2
  17. 2.8
  18. 3.4
  19. 2.5
  20. 2.5
  21. 2.6
  22. 3.1
  23. 3.1
  24. 2.7
  25. 2.5

Ten years

How many earthquakes does South Africa have each year?

M4.5+ earthquakes per year in and around South Africa

53 in total · average 5.3 a year (dashed line) · busiest 2017 (13)

  • M4.5–4.9
  • M5.0–5.9
  • M6.0+
’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25

USGS catalog inside the map area shown above. Outside the US the global catalog is complete from about M4.5, so smaller events are not counted here.

On record

Largest earthquakes in South Africa

The strongest M6.0+ events inside the area shown on the map in the USGS catalog since 1900. South Africa sits on or near the African Plate. Major structures include Ceres-Tulbagh Fault.

  1. 16.5132 km WSW of Moijabana, BotswanaApril 3, 2017 · 29 km deep
  2. 26.315 km NNE of Ceres, South AfricaSeptember 29, 1969 · 12 km deep
  3. 36.338 km S of Driefontein, South AfricaOctober 31, 1919 · 15 km deep
  4. 46.1203 km N of Chokwé, MozambiqueMay 19, 1940 · 15 km deep
  5. 56.128 km N of Maputsoe, LesothoFebruary 20, 1912 · 15 km deep

History · NOAA

Most destructive earthquakes in South Africa

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes in and around South Africa since 1700, which together caused about 55 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1997M5.0

    Avgold'S Hartebeestfontein Mine

    21 Jul 1997

    15 deaths

  2. 1969M6.3

    Cape Province

    29 Sep 1969 · intensity IX

    12 deaths$24 million damage

  3. 1990M4.0

    Charletonville

    18 Oct 1990

    10 deaths

  4. 2018M2.1

    West Rand

    3 May 2018

    7 deaths

  5. 1976M5.2

    South Africa

    8 Dec 1976

    4 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  6. 2005M4.3

    Klerksdorp, Stilfontein

    9 Mar 2005

    2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)

  7. 1990M4.2

    Welkom

    26 Sep 1990

    2 deathsLimited damage (under $1M)

  8. 2009M3.5

    Carletonville

    6 Dec 2009

    2 deaths

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

City trackers

Earthquakes near cities in South Africa

Questions

Earthquakes in South Africa: FAQ

This country page queries the USGS and EMSC catalogs inside a rectangle around South Africa and refreshes every five minutes. It is a catalog view, not a risk rating, prediction or alert.

Was there an earthquake in South Africa today?

No M2.5+ earthquake has been published by USGS and EMSC in or around South Africa in the past 24 hours. The most recent was M2.7 on September 22, 2026 (South Africa).

How often does South Africa have earthquakes?

In the past 30 days USGS and EMSC recorded 25 M2.5+ earthquakes inside the area shown on the map, and 5 of magnitude 5.0 or more in the last ten years.

What was the biggest earthquake in South Africa?

The largest event in the USGS catalog for this area is M6.5 on April 3, 2017 (132 km WSW of Moijabana, Botswana). Records before the 1970s are less complete.

Why do some events outside the border appear?

The map searches a rectangle around South Africa, so quakes just across a border or offshore can appear. Each event shows its exact place name.