M4.8 Earthquake in the Balleny Islands region — October 22, 2026
2026-10-22 07:49:29 UTC (3 hours ago) · approx. 6:49 PM UTC+11 local
On October 22, 2026 at 07:49 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck in the Balleny Islands region, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -62.4088°, 163.5214°. This earthquake was detected by 16 seismic stations with moderate 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
163.5214°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake in the Balleny Islands region?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck in the Balleny Islands region on October 22, 2026 at 07:49 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 -62.4088°, 163.5214°, which is in the Balleny Islands region.
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: us6000u41y). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, October 22, 2026). M4.8 Earthquake in the Balleny Islands region — October 22, 2026. Retrieved October 22, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000u41y/