M5.5 earthquake 74 km SSE of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 74 km SSE of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on Tue, Jun 16, 2020, 4:30 PM GMT+2 (14:30 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (mww), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 2020-06-16 14:30:26 UTC
- Depth
- 10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 27.344° N, 34.720° E
- Region
- Egypt
- Felt reports
- 24
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light shaking
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- IV, light shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 2.5% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.5 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
24 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light shaking.
Estimated impact
The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.
- Alert level
- Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected
| Range | Chance |
|---|---|
| Under 1 | 65% |
| 1 to 10 | 30% |
| 10 to 100 | 4% |
| 100 to 1,000 | Under 1% |
| 1,000 to 10,000 | Under 1% |
| 10,000 to 100,000 | Under 1% |
| 100,000 to 10,000,000 | Under 1% |
| Range, million USD | Chance |
|---|---|
| Under 1 | 65% |
| 1 to 10 | 30% |
| 10 to 100 | 4% |
| 100 to 1,000 | Under 1% |
| 1,000 to 10,000 | Under 1% |
| 10,000 to 100,000 | Under 1% |
| 100,000 to 10,000,000 | Under 1% |
Fault motion and ground failure
How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.
- Faulting
- Strike-slip
- Moment magnitude
- 5.5 Mww
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 130°, dip 66°, rake -162°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 33°, dip 74°, rake -25°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Location uncertainty
- About 6.4 km horizontally, 1.6 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.06
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 30°
- Stations used
- 112
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000acva (also filed as iscgem618544181). Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 1:38 PM UTC.