M4.5 earthquake near Orkney, North West

What happened

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 16 km ESE of Orkney, South Africa on 4 Jan 2024, 05:07 UTC at a depth of 5 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Light. Widely felt nearby; objects may shake or fall. Significant damage is unusual. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Orkney, about 17 km away in North West, South Africa.