M5.1 earthquake 238 km ENE of Georgetown, Saint Helena
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 238 km ENE of Georgetown, Saint Helena on Sun, Dec 16, 1979, 6:18 AM GMT-1 (07:18 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mb, body-wave), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-12-16 07:18:54 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 6.831° S, 12.551° W
- Region
- Saint Helena
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
- Stations used
- 16
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00014j4. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 11:41 PM UTC.