Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits South Sandwich Islands region
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit South Sandwich Islands region at 08:33 UTC on December 3, 2021. The agency is reporting a depth of 9.9 km (6.1 miles). The EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 80 km (49.7 miles). This is the second M6+ earthquake of the day. It hit just 4 hours after M6.2 in the Eater Islands region.
The epicenter was located 2 425 km (1 507 miles) E of Tolhuin, Argentine, and 2 705 km (1 681 miles) E of Punta Arenas, Chile.
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.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are a mix of vulnerable and earthquake-resistant construction. The predominant vulnerable building types are adobe block with concrete bond beam and unreinforced brick with concrete floor construction.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
Regional seismicity
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
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