M5.4 Earthquake in the Socotra region — October 13, 2020
2020-10-13 09:29:52 UTC (2020-10-13) · approx. 1:29 PM UTC+4 local
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On October 13, 2020 at 09:29 UTC, a magnitude 5.4 shallow crustal earthquake struck in the Socotra region, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 13.9738°, 56.9359°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 2 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Earthquake Details
56.9359°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.4 earthquake in the Socotra region?
The magnitude 5.4 earthquake that struck in the Socotra region on October 13, 2020 at 09:29 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 13.9738°, 56.9359°, which is in the Socotra region.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.4 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000c7zb). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, October 13, 2020). M5.4 Earthquake in the Socotra region — October 13, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000c7zb/