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M5.0 Earthquake near South Shetland Islands

UTC time: 2026-03-20 01:15:54 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
M5.0
Depth
31.0 km
Source
USP

South Shetland Islands

Map

M5.0 Earthquake near South Shetland Islands · 2026-03-20 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.0 Earthquake near South Shetland Islands · 2026-03-20 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

On March 20, 2026 at 01:15 UTC, a magnitude M5.0 earthquake occurred near South Shetland Islands. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 31 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude can damage poorly built structures.

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

Details

ID
8d7fe5eec590d122618f4bc2efa31281dcffe047
Magnitude
M5.0
Depth
31.0 km
UTC time
2026-03-20 01:15:54 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
usp
Coordinates
-61.64242, -56.65736

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 31 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 31 km
Shallow
31 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

Nearby population centers

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

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Ushuaia1018.3 kmNW56'825

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Bridgeman Island
    Distance: 47 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 240 m ·Antarctica
  • Melville
    Distance: 68 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 549 m ·Antarctica
  • Penguin Island
    Distance: 84 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 180 m ·Last eruption: 1905 ·Antarctica
  • Paulet
    Distance: 220 km ·Pyroclastic cone ·Elevation: 353 m ·Antarctica
  • Deception Island
    Distance: 252 km ·Caldera ·Elevation: 602 m ·Last eruption: 1970 ·Antarctica
  • Mount Haddington Volcanic Field
    Distance: 284 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 1'544 m ·Antarctica

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≥45
Earlier events M≥53
Compared since2025-02-14

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

Strongest earlier events

M6.72026-03-20 00:22:03 UTC43.0 kmSouth Shetland Islands M6.62026-03-20 00:22:02 UTC58.3 km###.# km ( ###.# mi) SSE (az= 154.7) from Estacion Coahuila, B.C., MX M6.22026-03-20 00:22:04 UTC59.1 km M4.82025-03-13 08:45:23 UTC52.6 kmSouth Shetland Islands M4.42025-02-14 15:56:36 UTC76.5 kmSouth Shetland Islands

Stats (last 24h)

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

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