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M5.5 Earthquake near Scotia Sea

UTC time: 2026-07-18 19:50:37 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
M5.5
Depth
10.0 km
Source
USGS

Scotia Sea

Map

M5.5 Earthquake near Scotia Sea · 2026-07-18 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.5 Earthquake near Scotia Sea · 2026-07-18 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On July 18, 2026 at 19:50 UTC, a magnitude M5.5 earthquake occurred near Scotia Sea. 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 can cause damage near the epicenter.

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

Details

ID
8229b2445254fa415a8fe0b03bf9e56907a3df4e
Magnitude
M5.5
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-07-18 19:50:37 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
usgs
Coordinates
-60.70660, -51.05590
Temperature
-0.6°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

Estimated impact

Green No or minimal impact expected.

Ground shaking

III
Weak · Intensity (MMI) III
Felt by a few, no damage.

Tectonic context

Located on the Antarctica Plate.
Near the boundary Scotia ↔ Antarctica · about 15 km away

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Stanley1085.5 kmNW2'213

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Bridgeman Island
    Distance: 337 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 240 m ·Antarctica
  • Melville
    Distance: 381 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 549 m ·Antarctica
  • Penguin Island
    Distance: 397 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 180 m ·Last eruption: 1905 ·Antarctica
  • Paulet
    Distance: 403 km ·Pyroclastic cone ·Elevation: 353 m ·Antarctica

Comparison of seismic sources

5 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.4 to M5.8.

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

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
USGSM5.510.0 km0.0 km
EMSCM5.610.0 km7.1 km
GFZM5.610.0 km5.1 km
RESIFM5.410.0 km28.4 km
INGVM5.814.8 km10.7 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#1
Earlier events M≥41
Earlier events M≥50
Compared since2025-01-10

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

Strongest earlier events

M4.72025-01-10 22:22:39 UTC33.6 kmScotia Sea

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
512
Country (24h)
—
—
Current earthquakes in
Magnitude Place Local time
No recent events available.

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