Moderate mag. 4.2 earthquake - 5.8 km southwest of Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia, on Thursday, 21 Jan 2021 6:47 am (GMT +2) -

Moderate mag. 4.2 earthquake - 5.8 km southwest of Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia, on Thursday, 21 Jan 2021 6:47 am (GMT +2)

Moderate magnitude 4.2 earthquake at 10 km depth

21 Jan 05:00 UTC: First to report: USGS after 14 minutes.
Update Thu, 21 Jan 2021, 05:06
Light 4.2 quake hits near Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia
4.2 quake 21 Jan 6:47 am (GMT +2)
4.2 quake 21 Jan 6:47 am (GMT +2)
An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 occurred only 19 minutes ago 6 km southwest of Mbala, Zambia, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported.
The quake hit at a shallow depth of 10 km beneath the epicenter near Mbala, Northern Province, Zambia, early morning on Thursday 21 January 2021 at 6:47 am local time. 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.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) which listed the quake at magnitude 4.2 as well.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.
In Mbala (pop. 20,600) located 6 km from the epicenter, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Mpulungu (pop. 8,500) located 26 km from the epicenter.
Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Matai (pop. 24,100) located 67 km from the epicenter, and Laela (pop. 19,200) 87 km away.
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Earthquake data:

Date & time: 21 Jan 2021 04:47:03 UTC -
Local time at epicenter: Thursday, 21 Jan 2021 6:47 am (GMT +2)
Magnitude: 4.2
Depth: 10.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 8.8686°S / 31.3212°E (Northern Province, Zambia)
Nearest volcano: Izumbwe-Mpoli (229 km / 142 mi)
Nearby towns and cities:
6 km (4 mi) WSW of Mbala (Northern) (pop: 20,600) --> See nearby quakes!
26 km (16 mi) ESE of Mpulungu (Northern) (pop: 8,550) --> See nearby quakes!
67 km (42 mi) SSW of Matai (Rukwa, Tanzania) (pop: 24,100) --> See nearby quakes!
87 km (54 mi) WSW of Laela (Rukwa, Tanzania) (pop: 19,200) --> See nearby quakes!
105 km (66 mi) SSW of Sumbawanga (Rukwa, Tanzania) (pop: 89,200) --> See nearby quakes!
150 km (93 mi) N of Kasama (Northern) (pop: 91,100) --> See nearby quakes!
150 km (93 mi) N of Kasama (Northern) (pop: 91,100) --> See nearby quakes!
554 km (344 mi) NE of Kitwe (Copperbelt) (pop: 400,900) --> See nearby quakes!
572 km (355 mi) WSW of Dodoma (Tanzania) (pop: 180,500) --> See nearby quakes!
798 km (496 mi) NNE of Lusaka (pop: 1,267,400) --> See nearby quakes!
Weather at epicenter at time of quake:
Light Rain 16.8°C (62 F), humidity: 94%, wind: 1 m/s (3 kts) from SE
Primary data source: USGS (United States Geological Survey)
Estimated released energy: 1.3 x 1011 joules (35 megawatt hours, equivalent to 30.1 tons of TNT) More info
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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.
MagnitudeDepthLocationSource
M 4.210 km5 Km WSW of Mbala, ZambiaUSGS
M 4.210 kmLAKE TANGANYIKA REGION, ZambiaEMSC
M 4.210 kmLake Tanganyika Region, ZambiaGFZ

User reports for this quake

User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
There are no user reports for this quake yet. If you felt it be the first to report it!
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Earlier earthquakes in the same area since 1900


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