4.9

M4.9 Earthquake 65 km NNW of Khorixas, Namibia — May 24, 2021

2021-05-24 08:27:42 UTC (2021-05-24) · approx. 9:27 AM UTC+1 local

Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM4.9(mb)
Time08:27 UTC≈ 9:27 AM UTC+1
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates-19.806°, 14.759°
Felt by1DYFI response
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On May 24, 2021 at 08:27 UTC, a magnitude 4.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 65 km NNW of Khorixas, Namibia, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -19.8060°, 14.7593°.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 338 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.4 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

Map showing earthquake epicenter at -19.81°, 14.76°

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.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M4.9 earthquake near 65 km NNW of Khorixas, Namibia

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
4.9 mb
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
-19.8060°N
14.7593°E
Felt Reports
1
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
2.0
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000e5q7
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
370
Azimuthal Gap
42.0°
Min Station Distance
2.727°
RMS Residual
0.33 sec
Last Updated
2025-12-22 19:01:02 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 4.9 earthquake near Khorixas, Namibia?

The magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck 65 km NNW of Khorixas, Namibia on May 24, 2021 at 08:27 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 -19.8060°, 14.7593°, which is 65 km NNW of Khorixas, Namibia.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.9 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000e5q7). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, May 24, 2021). M4.9 Earthquake 65 km NNW of Khorixas, Namibia — May 24, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000e5q7/