4.5

M4.5 Earthquake 11 km SE of Gisenyi, Rwanda — May 26, 2021

2021-05-26 23:19:33 UTC (2021-05-26) · approx. 1:19 AM UTC+2 local

Felt by 5 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM4.5(mb)
Time23:19 UTC≈ 1:19 AM UTC+2
Depth12.9 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates-1.782°, 29.324°
Felt by5DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On May 26, 2021 at 23:19 UTC, a magnitude 4.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 11 km SE of Gisenyi, Rwanda, at a depth of 12.9 km and coordinates -1.7819°, 29.3238°.

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.

Map showing earthquake epicenter at -1.78°, 29.32°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 5 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M4.5 earthquake near 11 km SE of Gisenyi, Rwanda

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
4.5 mb
Depth
12.9 km
shallow crustal
Location
-1.7819°N
29.3238°E
Felt Reports
5
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
3.4
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000eexu
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
313
Azimuthal Gap
110.0°
Min Station Distance
1.836°
RMS Residual
0.47 sec
Last Updated
2021-07-31 22:10:05 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 4.5 earthquake near Gisenyi, Rwanda?

The magnitude 4.5 earthquake that struck 11 km SE of Gisenyi, Rwanda on May 26, 2021 at 23:19 UTC had a depth of 12.9 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at -1.7819°, 29.3238°, which is 11 km SE of Gisenyi, Rwanda.

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.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000eexu). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, May 26, 2021). M4.5 Earthquake 11 km SE of Gisenyi, Rwanda — May 26, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000eexu/