M4.8 Earthquake near South Shetland Islands — March 13, 2025
2025-03-13 08:45:23 UTC (2025-03-13) · approx. 4:45 AM UTC-4 local
On March 13, 2025 at 08:45 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck near South Shetland Islands, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -61.1785°, -56.4668°. This earthquake was detected by 38 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 354, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Earthquake Details
-56.4668°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near South Shetland Islands?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck near South Shetland Islands on March 13, 2025 at 08:45 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 -61.1785°, -56.4668°, which is near South Shetland Islands.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000pyj7). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, March 13, 2025). M4.8 Earthquake near South Shetland Islands — March 13, 2025. Retrieved May 17, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000pyj7/