M6.3 Earthquake near Drake Passage — October 16, 2025
2025-10-16 01:42:32 UTC (2025-10-16) · approx. 9:42 PM UTC-4 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations. 0
On October 16, 2025 at 01:42 UTC, a magnitude 6.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck near Drake Passage, at a depth of 8.0 km and coordinates -59.9658°, -61.8649°.0 The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 66 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 611, making it a moderate-impact event.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 43 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 13 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
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
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 1 citizen response 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
-61.8649°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.3 earthquake near Drake Passage?
The magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck near Drake Passage on October 16, 2025 at 01:42 UTC had a depth of 8.0 km. For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -59.9658°, -61.8649°, which is near Drake Passage.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.3 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months and gradually diminish over time.
What should I do after an earthquake?
If you were in the affected area: check yourself and others for injuries, inspect your home for damage, and be prepared for aftershocks. For detailed guidance, see our earthquake safety guide and emergency planning resources.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000rhf2). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, October 16, 2025). M6.3 Earthquake near Drake Passage — October 16, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000rhf2/