5.4

M5.4 Earthquake near northern Mid-Atlantic RidgeAugust 14, 2021

2021-08-14 12:08:39 UTC (2021-08-14) · approx. 9:08 AM UTC-3 local

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MagnitudeM5.4(mb)
Time12:08 UTC9:08 AM UTC-3
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates28.106°, -43.867°
Felt byNo felt reports
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alertno significant casualties or damage expected

On August 14, 2021 at 12:08 UTC, a magnitude 5.4 shallow crustal earthquake struck near northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 28.1060°, -43.8668°. 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.

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Map showing earthquake epicenter at 28.11°, -43.87°

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.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M5.4 earthquake near northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.4 mb
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
28.1060°N
-43.8668°E
Intensity (MMI)
0.0
weak

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000f65c
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
449
Azimuthal Gap
57.0°
Min Station Distance
18.134°
RMS Residual
0.63 sec
Last Updated
2021-10-29 14:46:11 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.4 earthquake near northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge?

The magnitude 5.4 earthquake that struck near northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge on August 14, 2021 at 12:08 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 28.1060°, -43.8668°, which is near northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

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.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000f65c). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, August 14, 2021). M5.4 Earthquake near northern Mid-Atlantic RidgeAugust 14, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000f65c/