M4.9 Earthquake 17 km S of Kariba, Zimbabwe — December 23, 2024
2024-12-23 03:39:05 UTC (2024-12-23) · approx. 5:39 AM UTC+2 local
Felt by 4 people across nearby locations.
On December 23, 2024 at 03:39 UTC, a magnitude 4.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 17 km S of Kariba, Zimbabwe, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -16.6728°, 28.8144°. This earthquake was detected by 76 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 371, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 338 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.4 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 4 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
28.8144°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.9 earthquake near Kariba, Zimbabwe?
The magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck 17 km S of Kariba, Zimbabwe on December 23, 2024 at 03:39 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 -16.6728°, 28.8144°, which is 17 km S of Kariba, Zimbabwe.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.9 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000p0u1). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, December 23, 2024). M4.9 Earthquake 17 km S of Kariba, Zimbabwe — December 23, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000p0u1/