Observed earthquake
southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Recent observationReported by 3 agencies. Every solution below is that agency's own measurement, stored unaltered.
Agency solutions
The same earthquake as measured independently by each agency. Values are never averaged or rewritten.
| Agency | Magnitude | Depth | Origin time | Epicentre | Review status | Source record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEOFONGFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences | M5.4 mb | 10 km | 2026-10-13 08:38:28 UTC | 28.60°S, 12.58°W | Not stated | gfz2026ubjm ↗ |
| EMSCEuropean-Mediterranean Seismological Centre | M5.3 mb | 10 km | 2026-10-13 08:38:28 UTC | 28.56°S, 12.52°W | Not stated | 20261013_0000181 ↗ |
| USGSUnited States Geological Survey | M5.3 mb | 10 km | 2026-10-13 08:38:28 UTC | 28.56°S, 12.52°W | Reviewed by an analyst37 stations | us6000u207 ↗ |
Source: Earthquake solutions from the GEOFON programme, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences. · Retrieved: 2026-10-13 09:02:24 UTC · grouped with match confidence 96%
Source: Earthquake data from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) via SeismicPortal. · Retrieved: 2026-10-13 08:53:19 UTC
Source: Earthquake data courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey. · Retrieved: 2026-10-13 08:58:21 UTC
Why the agencies differ
Differences of a few tenths of a magnitude unit and tens of kilometres are normal and expected. Each agency uses a different set of seismic stations, a different velocity model for the Earth's interior, and sometimes a different magnitude scale altogether. None of them is “wrong”; they are independent measurements of the same event.
Prakruti groups solutions only when they agree closely in both time and location, and shows the preferred solution — favouring an analyst-reviewed moment magnitude where one exists — while keeping every other solution visible above.