Shallow M5.8 earthquake hits American Samoa region
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M5.8 hit the American Samoa region at 05:08 UTC on September 14, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M5.8 at a depth of 40 km (25 miles).
The epicenter was located about 300 km (187 miles) SSE of Ta’u Island volcano – where an earthquake swarm is occurring since July 2022.1
There are no people affected within 100 km (6.2 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 vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are informal (metal, timber, GI etc.) and unknown/miscellaneous types construction.
Regional seismicity
References:
1 Ta’u Island volcano earthquake swarm – The Watchers (archive)
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.
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.