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M5.3 Earthquake near southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

UTC time: 2026-08-23 11:22:42 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis. How our reports are produced ↗

Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
10.0 km
Source
USGS

southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Map

M5.3 Earthquake near southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge · 2026-08-23 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.3 Earthquake near southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge · 2026-08-23 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On August 23, 2026 at 11:22 UTC, a magnitude M5.3 earthquake occurred near southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 10 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The data is provided by USGS and cross-checked across seismological networks.

Details

ID
4ac50d56fb6fcfff0d5f88dacb0c5d3fa8c90565
Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-08-23 11:22:42 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-12.82990, -14.85240
Temperature
23.1°C

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
Why depth matters

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

Depth classes per USGS

Tectonic context

Located on the South America Plate.
Near the boundary Africa ↔ South America · about 20 km away

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Jamestown1042.1 kmE637

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Comparison of seismic sources

5 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.0 to M5.3.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
EMSCM5.310.0 km3.2 km
GFZM5.310.0 km4.1 km
ISCM5.110.0 km4.1 km
SERBIA_RSZM5.010.0 km15.9 km
USGSM5.310.0 km0.0 km

No unambiguous area assignment

Context for this earthquake

This event has no unambiguous country assignment in the analysed catalogue. It is therefore not assigned to a regional profile.

Earthquake overview

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#5
Earlier events M≥412
Earlier events M≥510
Compared since2025-11-28

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M5.42026-08-22 01:34:58 UTC5.5 kmSOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE M5.42026-07-28 01:27:53 UTC25.8 kmSouthern Mid-Atlantic Ridge M5.42026-01-28 01:58:32 UTC149.3 kmAscension Island Region M5.42026-01-28 01:58:30 UTC140.0 kmASCENSION ISLAND REGION M5.32026-07-16 20:21:55 UTC16.7 kmSOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
510
Country (24h)
—
—
Current earthquakes in
Magnitude Place Local time
No recent events available.

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