M6.0 earthquake in South Sandwich Islands region on January 29, 2026

On January 29, 2026 at 07:30 UTC the ground shook with a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. The epicenter was South Sandwich Islands region, with the focus 64 km deep. It was a shallow quake, and shallow quakes are usually felt most strongly at the surface.

6.0magnitude
64 kmdepth
07:30time UTC
greenUSGS alert
Live earthquake map →

Key facts

The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert, expecting little impact.

Nearest cities

  • Punta Arenas (Chile)2,846 km
  • Comodoro Rivadavia (Argentina)3,105 km
  • Tandil (Argentina)3,331 km
  • Maldonado (Uruguay)3,346 km
  • Montevideo (Uruguay)3,405 km

Did you feel an earthquake?

Report it to seismologists. These reports help work out quickly where the shaking was strongest. It takes a minute.

Report to USGS (Did You Feel It?)Report to EMSC (LastQuake)

Aftershocks

Since then USGS has recorded 54 quakes of magnitude 4.5 or more within 150 km, the strongest M5.7.

  • M5.7 · Feb 16, 14:52 UTC21 km
  • M5.4 · Aug 21, 13:06 UTC133 km
  • M5.2 · Sep 28, 03:43 UTC23 km
  • M5.2 · Sep 8, 06:50 UTC47 km
  • M5.2 · Jul 31, 18:58 UTC100 km
  • M5.2 · Jul 2, 02:57 UTC103 km
  • M5.1 · Jun 20, 04:44 UTC26 km
  • M5.1 · May 14, 09:55 UTC64 km

Regional history

Since 1976 there have been 91 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or more within 300 km. The strongest was M8.1 (August 12, 2021).

  • M8.1 · August 12, 202170 km
  • M7.5 · August 12, 202141 km
  • M7.2 · May 28, 2016188 km
  • M7.2 · December 27, 1991194 km
  • M7.1 · December 11, 201898 km

See also

Live earthquake mapAll earthquakes todayWeather in Punta ArenasEvent details at USGS

Source: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (public domain). Seismologists may still revise the data. Data from Apr 23, 20:43 UTC.