Algeria earthquakes

M5.2 earthquake 12 km N of Dellys, Algeria

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 12 km N of Dellys, Algeria on Thu, May 22, 2003, 2:57 PM GMT+1 (13:57 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.8 northern Algeria. This one was a foreshock.

Dellys 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: 5.2 (Mwc, centroid moment), moderate
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Thu, May 22, 2003, 2:57 PM GMT+1
UTC: 2003-05-22 13:57:20 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.030° N, 3.930° E
Region: Algeria
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
5.2	Mwc, centroid moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
5.16	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
5.2	Mwc, centroid moment	Global CMT project	Preliminary

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

no people dead or missing; no people injured; no buildings damaged or destroyed

From the USGS event page for usp000bxv0. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting: Reverse (thrust)
Nodal plane 1: Strike 81°, dip 20°, rake 88°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 263°, dip 70°, rake 91°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Station coverage gap: 71°
Stations used: 245

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.2 and up: at least 199 in the 60 days after this one and 122 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 199.

Before

Earthquakes today Algeria earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000bxv0 (also filed as gcmtb052203c, gcmt20030522135720, iscgem6846622). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 3:10 AM UTC.