M5.9 Earthquake 215 km W of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen — July 18, 2022
2022-07-18 18:40:33 UTC (2022-07-18) · approx. 6:40 PM UTC+0 local
Maximum shaking intensity MMI 4.1 (moderate).
On July 18, 2022 at 18:40 UTC, a magnitude 5.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 215 km W of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 78.5816°, 6.2140°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 115 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 536, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Longyearbyen (population 2,060).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 11 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 7.1 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
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
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 2,615 |
| MMI 4 | light | 6 |
Earthquake Details
6.2140°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.9 earthquake near Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen?
The magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck 215 km W of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen on July 18, 2022 at 18:40 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 78.5816°, 6.2140°, which is 215 km W of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen. The nearest populated place is Longyearbyen (population 2,060).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.9 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000i3hy). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, July 18, 2022). M5.9 Earthquake 215 km W of Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen — July 18, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000i3hy/