5.4

M5.4 Earthquake north of Ascension IslandMarch 26, 2024

2024-03-26 13:14:08 UTC (2024-03-26) · approx. 12:14 PM UTC-1 local

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MagnitudeM5.4(mww)
Time13:14 UTC12:14 PM UTC-1
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates-1.581°, -15.384°
Felt byNo felt reports
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alertno significant casualties or damage expected

On March 26, 2024 at 13:14 UTC, a magnitude 5.4 shallow crustal earthquake struck north of Ascension Island, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -1.5815°, -15.3842°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 267 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 449, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 2 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

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Map showing earthquake epicenter at -1.58°, -15.38°

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 M5.4 earthquake near north of Ascension Island

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

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.4 mww
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
-1.5815°N
-15.3842°E
Intensity (MMI)
0.0
weak

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000m82w
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
449
Stations Used
267
Azimuthal Gap
28.0°
Min Station Distance
6.269°
RMS Residual
0.47 sec
Last Updated
2024-06-01 21:55:47 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.4 earthquake north of Ascension Island?

The magnitude 5.4 earthquake that struck north of Ascension Island on March 26, 2024 at 13:14 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 -1.5815°, -15.3842°, which is north of Ascension Island.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.4 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000m82w). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, March 26, 2024). M5.4 Earthquake north of Ascension IslandMarch 26, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000m82w/