Back to map
South Africa · Limpopo

M2.9 Earthquake near Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality, Limpopo (South Africa)

UTC time: 2026-09-19 21:40:30 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M2.9
Depth
10.0 km
Source
EMSC

Limpopo · Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality

Country overview

Map

About this earthquake

A magnitude M2.9 earthquake was recorded near Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality, Limpopo (South Africa) on September 19, 2026 at 21:40 UTC. With a focal depth of about 10 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Events of this size typically go unnoticed.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks. South Africa: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 2 earthquakes, the strongest at M2.9.

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 10 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 10 km
Shallow
10 km
10 km — close to the regional average (10 km)
Regional average: 10 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Felt reports

1felt reports at EMSC / LastQuake

Voluntary reports of feeling this earthquake. The count is not an intensity measurement and is not added to USGS DYFI reports.

Data updated: Sep 19, 2026, 10:07 PM UTC · Last checked: Sep 20, 2026, 2:52 PM UTC

Source: EMSC / LastQuake

South Africa

Context for this earthquake

20 Sep 2025 – 20 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 2.0 · 93 Catalogue entries

Of 92 other entries for this area and period, 23 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · South Africa

Open history map
Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · South Africa

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

Share