5.5

M5.5 Earthquake in the Balleny Islands region — November 15, 2024

2024-11-15 10:41:07 UTC (2024-11-15) · approx. 8:41 PM UTC+10 local

0Aftershock of the M5.9 mainshock.

MagnitudeM5.5(mww)
Time10:41 UTC≈ 8:41 PM UTC+10
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates-61.286°, 153.996°
Felt byNo felt reports
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alert— no significant casualties or damage expected

On November 15, 2024 at 10:41 UTC, a magnitude 5.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck in the Balleny Islands region, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -61.2858°, 153.9957°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 30 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 465, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 3 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 3.8 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

This earthquake is part of an ongoing aftershock sequence following the magnitude 5.9 mainshock that occurred 2 days ago west of Macquarie Island. Since the mainshock, the USGS has recorded 0 aftershocks in this area. Aftershock activity is expected to continue for days to weeks as stresses on surrounding faults redistribute.

0
Map showing earthquake epicenter at -61.29°, 154.00°

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 M5.5 earthquake near Balleny Islands region

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

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.5 mww
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
-61.2858°N
153.9957°E
Intensity (MMI)
0.0
weak

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000nryg
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
465
Stations Used
30
Azimuthal Gap
124.0°
Min Station Distance
7.296°
RMS Residual
0.38 sec
Last Updated
2025-01-26 16:30:03 UTC

Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)

5.9
west of Macquarie Island
2 days ago · 10.0 km deep

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.5 earthquake in the Balleny Islands region?

The magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck in the Balleny Islands region on November 15, 2024 at 10:41 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 -61.2858°, 153.9957°, which is in the Balleny Islands region.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.5 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Is this the same earthquake as the M5.9 one earlier?

No. This magnitude 5.5 earthquake is an aftershock of the larger magnitude 5.9 mainshock that occurred earlier west of Macquarie Island. Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes triggered by stress changes from the mainshock.

Actions

View on USGSDid You Feel It?

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000nryg). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, November 15, 2024). M5.5 Earthquake in the Balleny Islands region — November 15, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000nryg/