M5.3 Earthquake 90 km SSE of Tôlanaro, Madagascar — September 18, 2024
2024-09-18 00:25:13 UTC (2024-09-18) · approx. 3:25 AM UTC+3 local
Felt by 6 people across nearby locations.
On September 18, 2024 at 00:25 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 90 km SSE of Tôlanaro, Madagascar, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -25.7980°, 47.3106°. This earthquake was detected by 101 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 435, 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.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 6 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
47.3106°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Tôlanaro, Madagascar?
The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck 90 km SSE of Tôlanaro, Madagascar on September 18, 2024 at 00:25 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 -25.7980°, 47.3106°, which is 90 km SSE of Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
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
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000nstp). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, September 18, 2024). M5.3 Earthquake 90 km SSE of Tôlanaro, Madagascar — September 18, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000nstp/