M5.1 Earthquake south of Africa — October 21, 2026
2026-10-21 18:12:35 UTC (2 hours ago) · approx. 8:12 PM UTC+2 local
On October 21, 2026 at 18:12 UTC, a magnitude 5.1 shallow crustal earthquake struck south of Africa, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -52.8338°, 27.5329°. This earthquake was detected by 78 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 400, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 674 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.0 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Earthquake Details
27.5329°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.1 earthquake south of Africa?
The magnitude 5.1 earthquake that struck south of Africa on October 21, 2026 at 18:12 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 -52.8338°, 27.5329°, which is south of Africa.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.1 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000u3wh). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, October 21, 2026). M5.1 Earthquake south of Africa — October 21, 2026. Retrieved October 21, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000u3wh/