Strong and shallow M6.0 earthquake hits South Sandwich Islands region
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit the South Sandwich Islands region at 11:47 UTC on August 12, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Epicenter of M6.0 earthquake in South Sandwich Islands region on August 12, 2026. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 2 324 km (1 444 miles) E of Tolhuin (population 3 000), 2 368 km (1 472 miles) E of Ushuaia (population 56 825), 2 394 km (1 488 miles) E of Río Grande (population 52 681), Argentina, and 2 605 km (1 619 miles) E of Punta Arenas (population 117 430), Chile.
USGS PAGER estimates no population exposure to earthquake shaking within the mapped area.
There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.0 earthquake South Sandwich Islands region – USGS – August 12, 2026
2 M6.0 earthquake South Sandwich Islands region – EMSC – August 12, 2026
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.
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