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Very strong mag. 6.0 earthquake - Northern Algeria on Thursday, 18 March 2021 at 00:04 (GMT) - information

Very strong mag. 6.0 earthquake - Western Mediterranean, 18 km northeast of Béjaïa, Bejaia, Algeria, on Thursday, Mar 18, 2021 at 1:04 am (GMT +1)

Very strong mag. 6.0 earthquake - Western Mediterranean, 18 km northeast of Béjaïa, Bejaia, Algeria, on Thursday, Mar 18, 2021 at 1:04 am (GMT +1) Very strong mag. 6.0 earthquake - Western Mediterranean, 18 km northeast of Béjaïa, Bejaia, Algeria, on Thursday, Mar 18, 2021 at 1:04 am (GMT +1)

Very strong magnitude 6.0 earthquake at 10 km depth

18 Mar 00:07 UTC: First to report: GFZ after 3 minutes.
18 Mar 00:10: Magnitude recalculated from 6.0 to 5.8. Epicenter location corrected by 2.8 km (1.8 mi) towards SW.
... [show all] ...
18 Mar 13:06: Epicenter location corrected by 1.4 km (0.9 mi) towards NW.
Update Fri, 19 Mar 2021, 02:23

Strong 6.0 offshore quake caused panic and damage along Bejaia, Algeria

Photos showing damaged structures in Bejaia, Algeria caused by the 6.0 quake. (Source: VolcanoDiscovery User Report)
A very strong 6.0 earthquake hit off the coast of Bejaia, Algeria in the middle of the night on Thursday, 18 March 2021, at 1:04 am local time. The epicenter was located at 18 km north of the Mediterranean Port City, and at the shallow depth of 10 km.
Within minutes after the quake, we received numerous user reports describing moderate to strong shaking. Our monitoring service also received reports of feeling the quake up to a distance of 250 km from the epicenter. The shaking reached the towns of Batna, Algeria, and Annaba.
In the photos above sent by one of our users, they show the damage caused by the quake.

The General Directorate Of Algerian Civil Protection reported panic in the streets as the residents fled from their homes. Some damage was reported including cracked residential halls and partially collapsed, old, unoccupied buildings. No injuries or casualties have been reported.
In video compilations posted on Youtube and other social media platforms (such as this one), panic stricken residents of Bejaia, Algeria were shown. Several destroyed or partially collapsed buildings were also captured. Residents were also shown clearing the streets of any debris from damaged walls. This is to remove any objects that may impede emergency operations or cause heavy traffic.

Within the past 24 hours, our monitoring service was able to detect at least 15 aftershocks from this quake. Almost all of these were felt and recorded magnitudes of 3.9 up to 5.1. The strongest aftershock hit just a few minutes after the main 6.0 quake.
The last strong earthquake that hit Algeria was the May 2003 Boumerdes Earthquake which recorded a magnitude of 6.8. It was reported to have recorded an intensity of X. The quake left over 2,000 casualties, 10,000 injuries, and 200,000 people homeless. Along with this, 10,000 buildings got destroyed or partially collapsed. The event was also able to produce localized tsunamis along the coastal areas of Northern Algeria.
Update Thu, 18 Mar 2021, 00:18

Magnitude 5.8 earthquake strikes near Béjaïa, Algeria

5.8 quake 18 Mar 1:04 am (GMT +1)
5.8 quake 18 Mar 1:04 am (GMT +1)
Algeria was shaken near Béjaïa, by an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 only 14 minutes ago, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) reported.
The quake hit at a shallow depth of 10 km beneath the epicenter near Béjaïa, Algeria, early morning on Thursday 18 March 2021 at 1:04 am local time. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
A second report was later issued by the United States Geological Survey, which listed it as a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. Other agencies reporting the same quake include Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) at magnitude 6.2, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) at magnitude 5.7, and Spain's Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) at magnitude 5.8.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should have been widely felt by almost everyone in the area of the epicenter. It might have caused light to moderate damage.
Moderate shaking probably occurred in Béjaïa (pop. 164,100) located 21 km from the epicenter.
In El-Kseur (pop. 26,100) located 40 km from the epicenter, Colmar (pop. 25,800) 40 km away, Barbacha (pop. 32,000) 44 km away, el hed (pop. 31,900) 48 km away, Akbou (pop. 66,700) 78 km away, Setif (pop. 288,500) 83 km away, and El Eulma (pop. 128,400) 96 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you're in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.

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Earthquake details

Date & timeMar 18, 2021 00:04:07 UTC
Local time at epicenterThursday, Mar 18, 2021 at 1:04 am (GMT +1)
StatusConfirmed
Magnitude6
Depth10.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude36.9°N / 5.17°E (Western Mediterranean, Algeria)
Antipode36.9°S / 174.83°W
Shaking intensityModerate shaking
Felt1101 reports
Primary data sourceGFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences)
Nearby towns and cities18 km (11 mi) NNE of Béjaïa (pop: 164,100) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
37 km (23 mi) NE of El Kseur (pop: 26,100) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
38 km (23 mi) NE of Colmar (pop: 25,800) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
41 km (26 mi) NNE of Barbacha (pop: 32,000) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
45 km (28 mi) NE of el hed (pop: 31,900) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
47 km (29 mi) NE of Feraoun (pop: 21,700) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
82 km (51 mi) NNW of Setif (pop: 288,500) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
99 km (61 mi) NNE of Bordj Bou Arreridj (pop: 168,300) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
151 km (94 mi) E of Boumerdas (pop: 786,500) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
186 km (116 mi) E of Algiers (pop: 1,977,700) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
355 km (221 mi) SSE of Mallorca Island (pop: 862,400) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
Weather at epicenter at time of quakeFew Clouds 10°C (50 F), humidity: 76%, wind: 3 m/s (5 kts) from WSW
Estimated seismic energy released6.3 x 1013 joules (17.5 gigawatt hours, equivalent to 15080 tons of TNT or 0.9 atomic bombs!) | about seismic energy
Show interactive Map
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Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies

Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
Mag.DepthLocationSource
6.010 kmNorthern AlgeriaGFZ
5.70 kmMEDITERR, AlgeriaIGN
6.010 kmNORTHERN ALGERIAEMSC
6.213 kmAlgeria [Sea]INGV
6.08 km20 Km NNE of Bejaïa, AlgeriaUSGS
6.010 kmNorthern AlgeriaBMKG
5.610 kmNear Algiers, AlgeriaRENASS
5.923 kmNorthern AlgeriaGeoAu

Seismograms

Seismic station: Tegucigalpa, Honduras (TGUH/CU network) | Distance from quake: 9288 km / 5771 mi | Show on map | Station Info
Seismic station Tegucigalpa, Honduras: vertical movement plot around time of quake (source: IRIS/BUD)
Seismogram (vertical component) around time of quake. Thin dotted red line indicates time of quake. Seismic waves arrive some time later, depending on distance. Bandpass filter applied: 0.02-2.0 Hz. Source: IRIS Buffer of Uniform Data (BUD) webtool
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User reports for this quake (1163)

User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
Contribute:
Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it.
Flag as inappropriate.
Mark as helpful or interesting.
Send your own user report!
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Hamiz Dar El baida / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : I was asleep and instantly woke up to the ground shaking | 20 users found this interesting.  
  • The shaking was horizontal and strong with some noise, it wake me up. Another shaking felt few minutes alter with weaker noise.
El Eulma, Sétif (95.1 km SSE of epicenter) [Map] / not felt / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : feeling dizzy | 11 users found this interesting.  
Beni Hamidene Constantine / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : This was a second one. the same as the fisrt one an hour ago. لا حول و لا قوة الا بالله | 8 users found this interesting.  
Sétif / Weak shaking (MMI III) : I live in Setif we are 135 km at least far from Béjaïa and we felt it it was shaking | 9 users found this interesting.  
Tizi-Ouzou / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) / 20-30 s : It was a frightening experience,I'm a foreign student in Algeria who resides in Tizi-Ouzou (rehanlia, Ouedaissi). As I'm speaking we are gathered outside our old building in shock and fear. Some had al | 7 users found this interesting.  
Carbonia, South Sardinia (385.7 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Terremoto avvertito in Sardegna, soprattutto nel SW. | 7 users found this interesting.  
Cheraga (198.1 km W of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 10-15 s : I was laying in bed when I suddenly heard the sound of objects in my room | 6 users found this interesting.  
belkheir , guelma / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : wake me up , and just followed by another one when i was writing | 7 users found this interesting.  
Boumerdes.Algeria (155.3 km W of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s : Trois legeres secousses (me trouvant dans mon lit)craquements aux fenetres durant 3 a4 secondes. | 7 users found this interesting. (reported through our app)  
201.4 km W of epicenter [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : I am 191km away from the center of the earthquake and fel my bed shaking for 5 to 10 sec it ws not strong not light. It felt like the center is very close | 6 users found this interesting.  
94.9 km SW of epicenter [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vibration and rolling / 2-5 s : I was sleeping then out of sudden I woke up to my bed shaking left to right side and a something that sounds like a sound of thunder , there was metal bars in Roof of the house and they were shaking hitting each other creating the similar sound | 2 users found this interesting.  
m'chedallah / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : m'chedallah bouira | 4 users found this interesting.  
490.3 km NNE of epicenter [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s : È durato pochi secondi, il luquido nella bottiglia si muoveva. Abito al 6° piano | 4 users found this interesting.  
Setif / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : Terrible | 4 users found this interesting.  
Birkhadem (189.5 km W of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I felt my desk moving | 3 users found this interesting.  
Boudouaou / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Light shaking of the bed and the iPad on my lap the lamps on the roof were swinging and felt the wall shaking too | 2 users found this interesting.  
93.8 km SSE of epicenter [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 10-15 s : It was 1:04 when I felt this earthquake. I saw the lamp swing, I went out from my bed and took refuge under a table in the hall . I guess it was two strong and successive earthquake but not far away from my city. | 3 users found this interesting.  
Annaba (228.1 km E of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : It was stronger and went on for a bit longer than the first one which was about 3 hours ago I think. | 3 users found this interesting.  
88.2 km E of epicenter [Map] / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) / 15-20 s : i felt the house shaking strongly i run to wake up my family members and run outside | 3 users found this interesting.  
Located in Ben aknoun , Algiers , Algeria / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I thought it was a pacific earthquake b | 3 users found this interesting.  
Alcudia (356.2 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Short shaking, came in 2 waves | 3 users found this interesting.  
230.3 km E of epicenter [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 1-2 s : In my bed i feel vibration | 3 users found this interesting.  
Algiers / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Scary | 3 users found this interesting.  
Ain Taya, Algiers (166.1 km W of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Flippant | 2 users found this interesting.  
Algiers / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / 5-10 s : At first, I thought that it was my 6 years old cat, that was shaking and pulling my bed-duvet but then it got stronger and I felt that my wardrobe’s | One user found this interesting.  
Mosquée Ali Ben Abou Talib/ Cité des 1000 logts/ / Severe shaking (MMI VIII) / horizontal (sideways) swinging | 2 users found this interesting.  
Ancienne ville (public domain)Superette à Béjaïa (public domain)Ancienne ville 2 (public domain)Ancienne ville 3 (public domain)
  • Hello I am a writer for this site. Could I ask if we can use your photos in our news report on this quake?
143.8 km WSW of epicenter [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s : My animals felt it before it happened. Even that i was sleeping. This earthquake woke me up | 2 users found this interesting.  
Béjaïa, amizour / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 10-15 s : We were so scared and we had to go outside and stay there in case it happened again, buildings in bejaia fell but thank God there were no human losses | 2 users found this interesting.  
Tizi Ouzou / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 15-20 s : I was on my bed back against the wall when | 2 users found this interesting.  
Jijel algeria / Severe shaking (MMI VIII) : I was about to go to sleep then suddenly i felt my bed start shaking, then i didnt take it too seriously and just waited for it to stop but it just got worse,my books fell off doors opened and it lasted too long | 2 users found this interesting.  
Beni Ziki (69.8 km WSW of epicenter) [Map] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex motion difficult to describe / 10-15 s : I was in my bed on the phone and i suddenly felt my bed shaking and my metallic window started making a vibrating sound, so i stood up and went under the piller of my room .i felt that the vibration lasted at least for 10 seconds. | 2 users found this interesting.  
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Aftershocks

[More info]

Recorded aftershocks, latest first (45 quakes)

Date and timeMag
Depth
LocationDetails
Jul 19, 2021 19:21
1 year 37 weeks ago - felt
4.4

10 km
29 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Jul 10, 2021 01:04
1 year 38 weeks ago
3.2

10 km
Western Mediterranean, 23 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Jun 22, 2021 19:47
1 year 40 weeks ago
3.4

10 km
Western Mediterranean, 44 km NE of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Jun 15, 2021 13:41
1 year 41 weeks ago - felt
2.9

10 km
Western Mediterranean, 34 km N of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
May 26, 2021 02:03
1 year 44 weeks ago - felt
3.5

9 km
Western Mediterranean, 30 km E of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Apr 25, 2021 15:07
1 year 49 weeks ago - felt
3.9

30 km
Western Mediterranean, 31 km NE of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Apr 14, 2021 08:07
1 year 50 weeks ago - felt
2.9

31 km
Western Mediterranean, 23 km E of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Apr 14, 2021 02:27
1 year 50 weeks ago - felt
3.2

0 km
9.5 km W of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Apr 11, 2021 07:55
1 year 51 weeks ago - felt
3.4

14 km
Western Mediterranean, 28 km NE of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Apr 1, 2021 16:22
1 year 52 weeks ago - felt
3.4

30 km
Western Mediterranean, 8.7 km NE of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 25, 2021 02:37
2 years ago - felt
3.7

1 km
Western Mediterranean, 33 km NE of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 25, 2021 00:31
2 years ago - felt
3.4

21 km
Western Mediterranean, 24 km E of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 24, 2021 23:23
2 years ago - felt
4.1

15 km
Western Mediterranean, 33 km NE of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 24, 2021 04:57
2 years ago - felt
3.2

19 km
Western Mediterranean, 30 km N of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 23, 2021 09:12
2 years ago - felt
3.6

19 km
Western Mediterranean, 27 km E of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 22, 2021 04:37
2 years ago - felt
3.9

0 km
Western Mediterranean, 29 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 21, 2021 19:23
2 years ago - felt
3.6

10 km
Western Mediterranean, 32 km NE of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 21, 2021 18:21
2 years ago - felt
3.7

22 km
24 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 21, 2021 08:31
2 years ago
3.9

5 km
Western Mediterranean, 49 km NW of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 20, 2021 01:51
2 years ago - felt
2.8

23 km
Western Mediterranean, 29 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 19, 2021 22:11
2 years ago - felt
2.7

19 km
Western Mediterranean, 43 km N of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 19, 2021 08:33
2 years ago - felt
3.9

0 km
Western Mediterranean, 29 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 19, 2021 02:23
2 years ago - felt
3.9

0 km
Western Mediterranean, 28 km NW of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 19:16
2 years ago - felt
4.1

1 km
Western Mediterranean, 21 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 19:05
2 years ago - felt
4.1

9 km
Western Mediterranean, 22 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 17:22
2 years ago - felt
4.0

17 km
34 km SE of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 16:21
2 years ago - felt
4.2

3 km
Western Mediterranean, 21 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 11:43
2 years ago - felt
3.9

12 km
Western Mediterranean, 27 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 10:38
2 years ago
3.9

10 km
Western Mediterranean, 24 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 06:46
2 years ago - felt
3.8

0 km
Western Mediterranean, 41 km N of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 03:28
2 years ago - felt
3.8

3 km
Western Mediterranean, 24 km E of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 02:24
2 years ago
3.8

0 km
Western Mediterranean, 43 km NW of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 01:40
2 years ago - felt
3.8

3 km
17 km SW of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 01:37
2 years ago - felt
3.9

0 km
Western Mediterranean, 27 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 01:35
2 years ago
3.9

1 km
Western Mediterranean, 24 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 01:29
2 years ago
3.8

10 km
Western Mediterranean, 39 km NE of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 01:26
2 years ago
3.8

0 km
Western Mediterranean, 24 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 01:08
2 years ago - felt
3.9

2 km
Western Mediterranean, 31 km W of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 01:04
2 years ago - felt
3.7

0 km
Western Mediterranean, 18 km NE of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 00:51
2 years ago - felt
3.6

13 km
Western Mediterranean, 54 km NW of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 00:33
2 years ago - felt
4.4

10 km
Western Mediterranean, 27 km E of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 00:28
2 years ago
4.0

1 km
26 km SE of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 00:17
2 years ago - felt
5.1

14 km
Western Mediterranean, 22 km NE of Béjaïa, Bejaia, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 00:14
2 years ago
4.6

0 km
Western Mediterranean, 31 km NW of Jijel, AlgeriaMore
Mar 18, 2021 00:13
2 years ago
3.9

77 km
Western Mediterranean, 10.6 km NE of Jijel, AlgeriaMore

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