M5.0 Earthquake in the Ascension Island region — September 5, 2023
2023-09-05 17:50:20 UTC (2023-09-05) · approx. 4:50 PM UTC-1 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.
On September 5, 2023 at 17:50 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck in the Ascension Island region, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -5.0279°, -11.5582°. This earthquake was detected by 111 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 385, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 km — 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 1 citizen response 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
-11.5582°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake in the Ascension Island region?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck in the Ascension Island region on September 5, 2023 at 17:50 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -5.0279°, -11.5582°, which is in the Ascension Island region.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000kthd). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, September 5, 2023). M5.0 Earthquake in the Ascension Island region — September 5, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000kthd/