Zimbabwe earthquakes

M4.9 earthquake 149 km SE of Chipinge, Zimbabwe

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck 149 km SE of Chipinge, Zimbabwe on Fri, May 12, 2006, 8:12 PM GMT+2 (18:12 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.0 121 km SSE of Chipinge, Zimbabwe. This one was a foreshock.

Chipinge forecast More in Zimbabwe

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 4.9 (mwc), light
Local time: Fri, May 12, 2006, 8:12 PM GMT+2
UTC: 2006-05-12 18:12:18 UTC
Depth: 20.1 km (12.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 21.293° S, 33.447° E
Region: Zimbabwe
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

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: Normal
Nodal plane 1: Strike 142°, dip 42°, rake -104°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 342°, dip 49°, rake -77°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
Station coverage gap: 46°
Stations used: 98

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.9 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Zimbabwe earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000egyr (also filed as gcmtc200605121812a, gcmt20060512181218). Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 3:34 AM UTC.