Mozambique earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake Mozambique

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck in Mozambique on Wed, Mar 15, 2006, 1:52 PM GMT+2 (11:52 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.6 146 km SE of Chipinge, Zimbabwe. This one was a foreshock.

Chipinge forecast More in Mozambique

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.1 (mwc), moderate
Local time: Wed, Mar 15, 2006, 1:52 PM GMT+2
UTC: 2006-03-15 11:52:54 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 21.187° S, 33.527° E
Region: Mozambique
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 314°, dip 45°, rake -114°
Nodal plane 2: Strike 166°, dip 50°, rake -68°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from: OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Station coverage gap: 40°
Stations used: 184

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 21 in the 60 days after this one and 49 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Mozambique earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000ec7b (also filed as gcmt20060315115254, iscgem10604185). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 1:15 AM UTC.