M4.6 Earthquake south of Africa — August 21, 2026
2026-08-21 05:56:46 UTC (1 hour ago) · approx. 7:56 AM UTC+2 local
On August 21, 2026 at 05:56 UTC, a magnitude 4.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck south of Africa, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -53.1420°, 23.5692°. This earthquake was detected by 33 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 326, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 120 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 899 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Earthquake Details
23.5692°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.6 earthquake south of Africa?
The magnitude 4.6 earthquake that struck south of Africa on August 21, 2026 at 05:56 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 -53.1420°, 23.5692°, which is south of Africa.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.6 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000tme0). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, August 21, 2026). M4.6 Earthquake south of Africa — August 21, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000tme0/