Earthquakes medium

M 5.7 Earthquake South of Africa on September 20, 2026

Source: USGS · South of Africa

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake was recorded by USGS near South of Africa. On the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program scale, M5.7 is classified "Moderate". Among the 1,740 earthquake reports Areazine has published, this M5.7 event ranks stronger than 93% of them (rank #94 by magnitude).

30 seconds on this earthquake report

Magnitude
M 5.7
USGS class
Moderate
Location
South of Africa
Archive rank
#94 of 1,740
Source
USGS
Published
September 20, 2026
MODERATE

Sits above 93% of the 1,740 earthquakes in the archive by magnitude; 93 ran stronger.

Record status: a point-in-time USGS detection. Aftershocks, revised magnitude, and felt-report data continue to update on USGS's own event page after publication.

What Happened

A M 5.7 mww earthquake struck south of Africa on September 20, 2026 at 12:54 UTC. The event occurred at a depth of 10 km.

Location Details

The earthquake was located at coordinates -48.4279 latitude, 31.2345 longitude, south of Africa. A depth of 10 km is considered shallow.

Impact Assessment

The USGS assigned a green alert level. No tsunami was generated (tsunami advisory status: 0). No felt reports were recorded.

What You Should Know

Earthquakes of this magnitude are classified as moderate and can cause damage to poorly constructed buildings. Aftershocks are possible following any earthquake.

Source

USGS Event Page

Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗

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Similar notices nationwide by length or severity timing 8

Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this USGS earthquake report: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.

Similar body length

Nearest notices by article body length (721 characters here).

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Similar severity timing

Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to September 20, 2026.

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Common Questions

Questions readers often have about this USGS earthquake report.

What magnitude was this earthquake? ▾
A magnitude 5.7 mww earthquake occurred south of Africa at a depth of 10 km.
What does an M5.7 "Moderate" reading actually indicate? ▾
The USGS classifies M5.7 as "Moderate" on its Earthquake Hazards Program scale. Events in this range are felt over a wide area and can cause significant damage near the epicenter, particularly to older or unreinforced buildings.
How does this compare with other earthquakes Areazine has reported? ▾
This is the #94 strongest of the 1,740 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive by magnitude, stronger than 93% of them and weaker than 93 others.
Was South of Africa likely to feel this earthquake? ▾
Whether an earthquake is felt depends on its depth, distance from population centers, and local geology, not magnitude alone. Check the USGS "Did You Feel It?" report for this event for real felt-shaking data.

Source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

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AirNow (EPA / NOAA)

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National Weather Service

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CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference behind every AQI category