5.0

M5.0 Earthquake near South Shetland Islands — October 10, 2020

2020-10-10 20:58:37 UTC (2020-10-10) · approx. 4:58 PM UTC-4 local

MagnitudeM5.0(mb)
Time20:58 UTC≈ 4:58 PM UTC-4
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates-62.329°, -58.180°
Felt byNo felt reports
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On October 10, 2020 at 20:58 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck near South Shetland Islands, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -62.3293°, -58.1804°.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

Map showing earthquake epicenter at -62.33°, -58.18°

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.0 mb
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
-62.3293°N
-58.1804°E

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000c7e4
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
385
Azimuthal Gap
68.0°
Min Station Distance
0.243°
RMS Residual
0.78 sec
Last Updated
2020-12-19 17:22:44 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near South Shetland Islands?

The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck near South Shetland Islands on October 10, 2020 at 20:58 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at -62.3293°, -58.1804°, which is near South Shetland Islands.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000c7e4). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, October 10, 2020). M5.0 Earthquake near South Shetland Islands — October 10, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000c7e4/