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 forecastMore 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
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

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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.