A magnitude 5.4 earthquake was recorded near South Sandwich Islands region on Aug 21, 2026, 1:06:40 PM (2026-08-21T13:06:40.821Z). The earthquake occurred at a depth of 159.0 km with coordinates -58.8509, -26.5571.
Moderate — widely felt, limited damage likely. This was a magnitude 5.4 earthquake — classed as moderate. Magnitude 5.0–5.9 earthquakes can damage poorly built buildings near the epicentre and are felt over a wide area.
At 159.0 km this is an intermediate-depth earthquake. The energy has further to travel to the surface, which softens the shaking near the epicentre while spreading it over a wider area.
Nearest major city: 3,562 km SSE of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The epicentre was located at -58.8509 latitude and -26.5571 longitude near South Sandwich Islands region. The earthquake was intermediate-depth at 159.0 km depth.
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Data source: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program event page. This page is generated from live USGS GeoJSON feed data.
Data source: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. Enable JavaScript for the live interactive map.