Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits Balleny Islands region, Southern Ocean
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit the Balleny Islands region, Southern Ocean at 20:52 UTC on December 1, 2020. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 2 km (1.4 miles).
This is the second M6+ earthquake to hit this area since M6.1 on November 25, 2020.
The epicenter was located 1 904 km (1 183 miles) SSW of Bluff, and 1 925 km (1 196 miles) SSW of Invercargill, New Zealand.
There are no people living within 100 km (62 miles).
The USGS issued a green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
There are no tsunami warnings, advisories, or watches in effect.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
Regional seismicity
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
Published in the last 24 hours
- Black kites and brown falcons in northern Australia have been seen snatching smoldering sticks from wildfires, flying them into unburned grass and dropping them, starting new fires that send lizards, rodents and insects running straight toward the waiting birds Epicenter
- A levee protecting a highway north of San Francisco is pocked with animal burrows and only 3 feet wide in places, and a report warns this winter's El Niño could push water over the top Epicenter
- In January 2000, chunks of ice weighing up to 6 pounds fell out of clear blue skies over Spain for 10 days. One smashed through a car windshield, and scientists still can’t fully explain where they came from Epicenter
- El Niño reaches 2.0°C on NOAA’s index, a tenth of a degree behind 1997–98 at the same point, as forecasters expect it to challenge the all-time record this winter
