M6.0 earthquake in South Sandwich Islands region on August 12, 2026

On August 12, 2026 at 11:47 UTC the ground shook with a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. The epicenter was South Sandwich Islands region, with the focus 10 km deep. It was a shallow quake, and shallow quakes are usually felt most strongly at the surface.

6.0magnitude
10 kmdepth
11:47time UTC
greenUSGS alert
Live earthquake map →

Key facts

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

Nearest cities

  • Punta Arenas (Chile)2,625 km
  • Comodoro Rivadavia (Argentina)2,965 km
  • Tandil (Argentina)3,313 km
  • Maldonado (Uruguay)3,377 km
  • Montevideo (Uruguay)3,426 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 1 quakes of magnitude 4.5 or more within 150 km, the strongest M5.3.

  • M5.3 · Aug 12, 11:49 UTC9 km

Regional history

Since 1976 there have been 44 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or more within 300 km. The strongest was M8.1 (August 12, 2021).

  • M8.1 · August 12, 2021297 km
  • M7.3 · July 15, 2013227 km
  • M7.2 · October 22, 1983201 km
  • M7.1 · December 11, 2018240 km
  • M7.1 · August 22, 2021229 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 Oct 12, 09:12 UTC.