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M5.3 Earthquake near southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

UTC time: 2026-07-16 20:21:52 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 · 2026-07-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.3 Earthquake near southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge · 2026-07-16 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.3 earthquake was recorded near southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge on July 16, 2026 at 20:21 UTC. With a focal depth of about 10 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

The event was recorded by USGS.

Details

ID
560486f59205a0d7603de4fa84bfd97a2764bca9
Magnitude
M5.3
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-07-16 20:21:52 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-12.68710, -14.71750
Temperature
24.0°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 6 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Jamestown1034.1 kmE637

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours2
First 24 hours3
First 72 hours4
Strongest subsequent eventM5.3
M5.12026-07-16 21:16:32 UTC3.9 kmSouthern Mid-Atlantic Ridge M4.92026-07-16 21:54:04 UTC108.5 kmSOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE M4.82026-07-17 02:31:15 UTC12.4 kmsouthern Mid-Atlantic Ridge M4.82026-07-18 04:07:11 UTC147.8 kmASCENSION ISLAND REGION M5.32026-07-28 01:27:51 UTC24.7 kmsouthern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Comparison of seismic sources

6 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
ISCM5.310.0 km0.1 km
USGSM5.310.0 km0.0 km
GFZM5.310.0 km12.5 km
SERBIA_RSZM5.110.0 km33.2 km
USPM5.010.0 km28.0 km
EMSCM5.318.0 km6.5 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#4
Earlier events M≥47
Earlier events M≥56
Compared since2025-11-28

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

Strongest earlier events

M5.42026-01-28 01:58:32 UTC127.9 kmAscension Island Region M5.42026-01-28 01:58:30 UTC118.4 kmASCENSION ISLAND REGION M5.32026-01-28 01:58:33 UTC140.2 kmAscension Island Region M5.12026-07-16 19:55:33 UTC28.0 kmSouthern Mid-Atlantic Ridge M5.02025-11-28 13:29:37 UTC139.0 kmEvent of magnitude 5.0, near of Recife (Monde)

Stats (last 24h)

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

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