·

Shallow M7.1 earthquake hits South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

shallow-m7-1-earthquake-hits-south-shetland-islands-antarctica

An intense earthquake swarm continues in Bransfield Strait, Antarctica, with a very strong and shallow earthquake registered by CSN Chile and EMSC as M7.1 at 23:36 UTC on January 23, 2021. USGS is reporting it as M6.9 at a depth of 9.6 km (6 miles).

The epicenter was located near the southern coast of Elephant Island and east of King George Island.

According to the National Seismological Center at the University of Chile, more than 30 000 earthquakes have been registered in the Bransfield Strait, a 96 km (60 miles) ocean channel between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, from August to December 2020.

Yesterday's M7.1/M6.9 is the strongest in the sequence.

Several tectonic plates and microplates meet in this area, leading to frequent rumbling, but the past months have been unusual.

Most of the seismicity was concentrated at the beginning of the sequence, mainly during the month of September, with more than a thousand earthquakes a day, the center said.

Image credit: Berricoso et al. (2008)

Due to these frequent earthquakes, the strait is now expanding from the Antarctic Peninsula about 15 cm (6 inches) per year, nearly 20 times faster than before (7 to 8 mm (0.30 inches) per year).

Reference:

Reporte Sismicidad Estrecho de Bransfield – Reporte para Onemi – November 21, 2020 (source)

Featured image credit: TW/SAM, Google

If you value what we do here, create your ad-free account and support our journalism.

Share:


Your support makes a difference

Dear valued reader,

We hope that our website has been a valuable resource for you.

The reality is that it takes a lot of time, effort, and resources to maintain and grow this website. We rely on the support of readers like you to keep providing high-quality content.

If you have found our website to be helpful, please consider making a contribution to help us continue to bring you the information you need. Your support means the world to us and helps us to keep doing what we love.

Support us by choosing your support level – Silver, Gold or Platinum.

Other support options include Patreon pledges, one-off payments using PayPal and purchasing products from our webshop.

Thank you for your consideration. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Teo Blašković

$5 /month

  • Ad-free account
  • Clean user interface and fast browsing
  • Direct communication with us via chat and email
  • Suggest new features, content and applications
  • Early access to new apps and features

$50 /year

$10 /month

  • Ad-free account
  • Clean user interface and fast browsing
  • Direct communication with us via chat and email
  • Suggest new features, content and applications
  • Early access to new apps and features

$100 /year

$25 /month

  • Ad-free account
  • Clean user interface and fast browsing
  • Direct communication with us via chat and email
  • Suggest new features, content and applications
  • Early access to new apps and features

$200 /year

You can also support us on Patreon

support us on patreon

or by sending us a one-off payment using PayPal:


Commenting rules and guidelines

We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules:

  • Treat others with kindness and respect.
  • Stay on topic and contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way.
  • Do not use abusive or hateful language.
  • Do not spam or promote unrelated products or services.
  • Do not post any personal information or content that is illegal, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these rules. By commenting on our website, you agree to abide by these guidelines. Thank you for helping to create a positive and welcoming environment for all.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *