M4.6 Earthquake near Southwest Indian Ridge — May 18, 2022
2022-05-18 23:09:30 UTC (2022-05-18) · approx. 3:09 AM UTC+4 local
On May 18, 2022 at 23:09 UTC, a magnitude 4.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck near Southwest Indian Ridge, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -27.9577°, 64.9930°. This earthquake was detected by 48 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
64.9930°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.6 earthquake near Southwest Indian Ridge?
The magnitude 4.6 earthquake that struck near Southwest Indian Ridge on May 18, 2022 at 23:09 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 -27.9577°, 64.9930°, which is near Southwest Indian Ridge.
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.
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Location
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000hc8k). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, May 18, 2022). M4.6 Earthquake near Southwest Indian Ridge — May 18, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000hc8k/