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South Africa · Free State

M2.4 Earthquake near Masilonyana Local Municipality, Free State (South Africa)

UTC time: 2026-09-18 00:57:15 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M2.4
Depth
10.0 km
Source
EMSC

Free State · Masilonyana Local Municipality

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M2.4 earthquake was recorded near Masilonyana Local Municipality, Free State (South Africa) on September 18, 2026 at 00:57 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 event was recorded by EMSC. South Africa: 2 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching 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

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, 46 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

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