5.6

M5.6 Earthquake in the South Sandwich Islands region — June 4, 2022

2022-06-04 02:59:28 UTC (2022-06-04) · approx. 12:59 AM UTC-2 local

Felt by 2 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.6(mww)
Time02:59 UTC≈ 12:59 AM UTC-2
Depth43.5 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates-58.773°, -25.588°
Felt by2DYFI responses· max MMI 3.7
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alert— no significant casualties or damage expected

On June 4, 2022 at 02:59 UTC, a magnitude 5.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck in the South Sandwich Islands region, at a depth of 43.5 km and coordinates -58.7733°, -25.5884°. The earthquake was reported felt by 2 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 3.7 (light). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 70 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 484, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 4 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 4.4 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

The epicenter is located in South Sandwich Islands, a region characterized by the South Sandwich Trench, one of Earth's most remote subduction zones.

Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences

Map showing earthquake epicenter at -58.77°, -25.59°

ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity

Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M5.6 earthquake near South Sandwich Islands region

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 2 citizen responses 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 M5.6 earthquake near South Sandwich Islands region

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

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.6 mww
Depth
43.5 km
shallow crustal
Location
-58.7733°N
-25.5884°E
Felt Reports
2
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
3.7
light
Community Intensity
7.7
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000heu8
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
484
Stations Used
70
Azimuthal Gap
33.0°
Min Station Distance
7.518°
RMS Residual
0.72 sec
Last Updated
2022-08-13 21:52:09 UTC

Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)

5.1
South Sandwich Islands region
3 days ago · 128.6 km deep

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.6 earthquake in the South Sandwich Islands region?

The magnitude 5.6 earthquake that struck in the South Sandwich Islands region on June 4, 2022 at 02:59 UTC had a depth of 43.5 km. It was felt by 2 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 3.7 (light). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at -58.7733°, -25.5884°, which is in the South Sandwich Islands region.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.6 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Actions

View on USGSDid You Feel It?

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000heu8). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, June 4, 2022). M5.6 Earthquake in the South Sandwich Islands region — June 4, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000heu8/