Algeria earthquakes

M5.9 earthquake 8 km E of Sig, Algeria

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 8 km E of Sig, Algeria on Thu, Aug 18, 1994, 2:13 AM GMT+1 (01:13 UTC), 9 km (5 mi) below the surface.

Sig forecast More in Algeria

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.9 (mw), moderate
Local time: Thu, Aug 18, 1994, 2:13 AM GMT+1
UTC: 1994-08-18 01:13:05 UTC
Depth: 8.7 km (5.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 35.520° N, 0.106° W
Region: Algeria
Strongest shaking: VII, very strong shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Deaths and damage

From NOAA NCEI’s Significant Earthquake Database (record 5391), matched to this event by time and place.

Deaths: 171
Damage: Extreme (about $25 million or more)
Houses destroyed: Very many (over 1,000)
Houses damaged: Very many (over 1,000)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA’s full record of this earthquake

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VII, very strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 30.6% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 3.1 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.9 and up: 25 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

Earthquakes today Algeria earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0006h33 (also filed as choy19940818011305, gcmtb081894b, gcmt19940818011306, atlas19940818011307, iscgem160696). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 10:53 PM UTC.