Rare M5.5 earthquake hits Gabon – the strongest since 1974
A rare earthquake, registered by the USGS as M5.5, hit Gabon at 09:53 UTC on December 4, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 3.6 km (2.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M5.5 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
The epicenter was located 37.5 km (23.3 miles) S of Lambaréné (population 20 714), 163.7 km (101.7 miles) ESE of Port-Gentil (population 109 163), and 180.4 km (112.1 miles) SSE of Libreville (population 578 156), Gabon.
1 000 people are estimated to have felt very strong shaking, 2 000 strong, 66 000 moderate and 1 547 000 light.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and a Yellow alert for economic losses. Some damage is possible and the impact should be relatively localized. Estimated economic losses are less than 1% of GDP of Gabon. Past events with this alert level have required a local or regional level response.
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 mud wall and informal (metal, timber, GI etc.) construction.
This is the strongest earthquake to hit Gabon since M6.2 at 19:28 UTC on September 23, 1974.
Several moderate to strong earthquakes were registered near yesterday’s M5.5 quake over the past 2 years. The magnitudes ranged from 4.4 to 5.2.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
Featured image credit: TW/SAM, Google
If you value what we do here, create your ad-free account and support our journalism.
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
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:
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.