M4.8 Earthquake 7 km SE of Orkney, South Africa — July 10, 2025
2025-07-10 11:48:50 UTC (2025-07-10) · approx. 1:48 PM UTC+2 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.
On July 10, 2025 at 11:48 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck 7 km SE of Orkney, South Africa, at a depth of 5.0 km and coordinates -27.0295°, 26.7303°. This earthquake was detected by 27 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 355, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 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
26.7303°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Orkney, South Africa?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck 7 km SE of Orkney, South Africa on July 10, 2025 at 11:48 UTC had a depth of 5.0 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -27.0295°, 26.7303°, which is 7 km SE of Orkney, South Africa.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000qbsm). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, July 10, 2025). M4.8 Earthquake 7 km SE of Orkney, South Africa — July 10, 2025. Retrieved November 28, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000qbsm/