M4.6 Earthquake 30 km N of Kiomboi, Tanzania — January 20, 2023
2023-01-20 21:30:51 UTC (2023-01-20) · approx. 11:30 PM UTC+2 local
Felt by 3 people across nearby locations.
On January 20, 2023 at 21:30 UTC, a magnitude 4.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 30 km N of Kiomboi, Tanzania, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -3.9917°, 34.3521°. This earthquake was detected by 61 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 327, 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.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 3 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
34.3521°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.6 earthquake near Kiomboi, Tanzania?
The magnitude 4.6 earthquake that struck 30 km N of Kiomboi, Tanzania on January 20, 2023 at 21:30 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 -3.9917°, 34.3521°, which is 30 km N of Kiomboi, Tanzania.
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.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000j5wu). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, January 20, 2023). M4.6 Earthquake 30 km N of Kiomboi, Tanzania — January 20, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000j5wu/