M4.5 Earthquake near South Shetland Islands — September 21, 2020
2020-09-21 20:48:19 UTC (2020-09-21) · approx. 4:48 PM UTC-4 local
On September 21, 2020 at 20:48 UTC, a magnitude 4.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck near South Shetland Islands, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -62.2634°, -58.2405°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 85 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 767 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Earthquake Details
-58.2405°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.5 earthquake near South Shetland Islands?
The magnitude 4.5 earthquake that struck near South Shetland Islands on September 21, 2020 at 20:48 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -62.2634°, -58.2405°, which is near South Shetland Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.5 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000c14w). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, September 21, 2020). M4.5 Earthquake near South Shetland Islands — September 21, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000c14w/