M3.5 Earthquake 47 km S of Saldanha, South Africa — November 16, 2020
2020-11-16 22:27:03 UTC (2020-11-16) · approx. 11:27 PM UTC+1 local
Felt by 901 people across surrounding communities.
On November 16, 2020 at 22:27 UTC, a magnitude 3.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 47 km S of Saldanha, South Africa, at a depth of 5.0 km and coordinates -33.4301°, 17.8965°.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 3.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 2.7 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 157 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 901 citizen responses 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
17.8965°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 3.5 earthquake near Saldanha, South Africa?
The magnitude 3.5 earthquake that struck 47 km S of Saldanha, South Africa on November 16, 2020 at 22:27 UTC had a depth of 5.0 km. For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -33.4301°, 17.8965°, which is 47 km S of Saldanha, South Africa.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 3.5 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000cfw3). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2020, November 16, 2020). M3.5 Earthquake 47 km S of Saldanha, South Africa — November 16, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000cfw3/