M4.4 earthquake near Nkhata Bay, Northern Region

What happened

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck 33 km E of Nkhata Bay, Malawi on 16 Dec 2021, 14:03 UTC at a depth of 10 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 Nkhata Bay, about 33 km away in Northern Region, Malawi.