MODERATE EARTHQUAKE
South Sandwich Islands region
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck South Sandwich Islands region on 19 Oct 2026, 17:45 UTC. The hypocentre was 101.5 km below the surface — intermediate by seismological convention. No felt reports have been received so far. 6 other earthquakes above our reporting threshold have been recorded within 250 km in the past 30 days.
- Depth
- 101.5 km
- Latitude
- 56.35°S
- Time
- 17:45 UTC
- Magnitude
- M5.1
intermediate
27.09°W longitude
19 Oct 2026
mb
EPICENTRE
MAGNITUDE 5.1
Can damage poorly constructed buildings; well-built structures usually escape with little harm.
The scale is logarithmic: this released about 45 times the energy of a magnitude 4.0, roughly the energy of 674 tonnes of TNT.
101.5 KM DEEP
At this depth the energy spreads before it reaches the surface. Shaking is usually weaker than a shallow earthquake of the same size, but it can be felt across a wider area.
NEARBY IN THE PAST 30 DAYS
6 earthquakes above our reporting threshold within 250 km of this one, the largest a magnitude 5.1.
OTHER RECENT EARTHQUAKES
19 Oct 2026, 18:27 UTC · 156.8 km deep
19 Oct 2026, 17:20 UTC · 41.5 km deep
19 Oct 2026, 16:27 UTC · 52.2 km deep
19 Oct 2026, 16:27 UTC · 39.2 km deep