5.3

M5.3 Earthquake in the Macquarie Island regionJuly 28, 2025

2025-07-28 22:20:41 UTC (2025-07-28) · approx. 9:20 AM UTC+11 local

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MagnitudeM5.3(mb)
Time22:20 UTC9:20 AM UTC+11
Depth34.9 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates-57.806°, 157.715°
Felt byNo felt reports
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alertno significant casualties or damage expected

On July 28, 2025 at 22:20 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck in the Macquarie Island region, at a depth of 34.9 km and coordinates -57.8059°, 157.7149°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 55 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 432, 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.

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Map showing earthquake epicenter at -57.81°, 157.71°

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.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M5.3 earthquake near Macquarie Island region

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.3 mb
Depth
34.9 km
shallow crustal
Location
-57.8059°N
157.7149°E
Intensity (MMI)
0.0
weak

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000qvsl
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
432
Stations Used
55
Azimuthal Gap
47.0°
Min Station Distance
3.386°
RMS Residual
0.62 sec
Last Updated
2025-10-11 20:57:29 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake in the Macquarie Island region?

The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck in the Macquarie Island region on July 28, 2025 at 22:20 UTC had a depth of 34.9 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at -57.8059°, 157.7149°, which is in the Macquarie Island region.

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.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000qvsl). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, July 28, 2025). M5.3 Earthquake in the Macquarie Island regionJuly 28, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000qvsl/