M6.1 Earthquake in the South Sandwich Islands region — November 2, 2022
2022-11-02 14:17:53 UTC (2022-11-02) · approx. 12:17 PM UTC-2 local
On November 2, 2022 at 14:17 UTC, a magnitude 6.1 shallow crustal earthquake struck in the South Sandwich Islands region, at a depth of 25.0 km and coordinates -60.7841°, -25.7774°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 139 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 572, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 21 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 9.7 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
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.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Earthquake Details
-25.7774°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.1 earthquake in the South Sandwich Islands region?
The magnitude 6.1 earthquake that struck in the South Sandwich Islands region on November 2, 2022 at 14:17 UTC had a depth of 25.0 km. For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -60.7841°, -25.7774°, which is in the South Sandwich Islands region.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.1 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000ilyk). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2022, November 2, 2022). M6.1 Earthquake in the South Sandwich Islands region — November 2, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000ilyk/