5.3

M5.3 Earthquake 103 km S of ?urrieq, Malta — January 30, 2023

2023-01-30 19:55:25 UTC (2023-01-30) · approx. 8:55 PM UTC+1 local

Felt by 92 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.3(mww)
Time19:55 UTC≈ 8:55 PM UTC+1
Depth10.3 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates34.910°, 14.273°
Felt by92DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On January 30, 2023 at 19:55 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 103 km S of ?urrieq, Malta, at a depth of 10.3 km and coordinates 34.9098°, 14.2728°. This earthquake was detected by 135 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 465, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.7 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 34.91°, 14.27°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 92 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 M5.3 earthquake near 103 km S of ?urrieq, Malta

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

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.3 mww
Depth
10.3 km
shallow crustal
Location
34.9098°N
14.2728°E
Felt Reports
92
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
3.6
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000jkea
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
465
Stations Used
135
Azimuthal Gap
35.0°
Min Station Distance
2.555°
RMS Residual
0.67 sec
Last Updated
2023-04-13 21:53:11 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near ?urrieq, Malta?

The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck 103 km S of ?urrieq, Malta on January 30, 2023 at 19:55 UTC had a depth of 10.3 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 34.9098°, 14.2728°, which is 103 km S of ?urrieq, Malta.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.3 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Actions

View on USGSDid You Feel It?

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000jkea). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, January 30, 2023). M5.3 Earthquake 103 km S of ?urrieq, Malta — January 30, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000jkea/