M4.9 Earthquake 287 km WNW of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen — December 20, 2021
2021-12-20 17:22:52 UTC (2021-12-20) · approx. 5:22 PM UTC+0 local
On December 20, 2021 at 17:22 UTC, a magnitude 4.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 287 km WNW of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 79.5731°, 4.2277°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 338 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.4 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Earthquake Details
4.2277°E
Technical Information
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Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.9 earthquake near Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen?
The magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck 287 km WNW of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen on December 20, 2021 at 17:22 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 79.5731°, 4.2277°, which is 287 km WNW of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.9 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000gdw7). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, December 20, 2021). M4.9 Earthquake 287 km WNW of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen — December 20, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000gdw7/