M6.8 Earthquake: Central Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Updated 09:05 UTC · 29 Oct 2026

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck central Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 12:23 UTC on 13 Oct 2026, at a depth of 10 km, reported by USGS. USGS PAGER issued a green alert: little or no damage and a low chance of deaths. USGS set its tsunami flag for this quake; that is not a warning, so check tsunami.gov and local officials. So far 1 aftershock of M2.5+ has been recorded within 74 km, the largest a M4.6.

M6.8

Magnitude (USGS)

mww

10 km

Depth

shallow

GREEN

USGS PAGER impact alert

estimated impact

Aftershocks M2.5+ so far

within 74 km

[ fig. 1 ] M6.8 EPICENTRE, AFTERSHOCKS AND PAST QUAKESThis quakeAftershock M5+AftershockPast M6+

USGS · updated 09:05 UTC 2026-10-29Tap a point for details · pinch or ctrl + scroll to zoomTrack this live in the app ›

Nearest places

Georgetown, Ascension, Saint Helena1,001 km from the epicentre · quake was NNW of here · population 5381,001 KM
Bonthe, Southern Province, Sierra Leone1,167 km from the epicentre · quake was SW of here · population 10,2061,167 KM
Goderich, Western Area, Sierra Leone1,191 km from the epicentre · quake was SW of here · population 19,2091,191 KM
Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount, Liberia1,196 km from the epicentre · quake was SW of here · population 11,9691,196 KM
Waterloo, Western Area, Sierra Leone1,197 km from the epicentre · quake was SW of here · population 55,0001,197 KM

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Strongest aftershocks so far

M4.6 · central Mid-Atlantic Ridge2026-10-14 14:17 UTC · 10 km deep · USGSLOW

Key context

Tectonic setting

Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This is a mid-ocean ridge, where two plates pull apart and new sea floor forms. Quakes here are shallow and frequent, but they rarely pass M7 and happen far from people, so they seldom cause damage or a large tsunami.

The USGS moment tensor shows strike-slip faulting: the two sides of the fault slid sideways past each other.

At 10 km it was a very shallow quake: shallow quakes shake the ground above them hardest, so local damage depends on how close towns are.

Shaking and impact

USGS PAGER estimates the impact from the shaking and the number of people exposed. For this quake it issued a green alert: little or no damage and a low chance of deaths (fatality alert: green, economic loss alert: green). PAGER is an early estimate and can change as reports come in.

USGS had no "Did You Feel It?" reports for this quake when this page was updated; remote and offshore quakes often get none.

Aftershocks

This page counts quakes of M2.5 or more within 74 km after the main shock, from the USGS catalog (last checked 09:05 UTC, 29 Oct 2026): 1 aftershock so far.

Aftershocks are normal after a quake of this size. They usually become less frequent over days and weeks, but a strong aftershock can still happen, and in a few sequences a later quake is larger. No one can predict their exact time or size; follow the official agency for your area.

Earthquake history within 250 km

Since 1976, USGS lists 95 quakes of M5 or more within 250 km of this epicentre, about 1.9 a year. Since 1900 the same circle had 4 quakes of M6.8 or larger.

Largest earlier quakes within 250 km, USGS catalog since 1900 (M6+).
Magnitude	Place (USGS)	Date	Depth
M7.1	north of Ascension Island	2016-08-29	10 km
M6.8	central Mid-Atlantic Ridge	1992-12-26	27 km
M6.8	central Mid-Atlantic Ridge	1973-08-28	33 km
M6.8	central Mid-Atlantic Ridge	2005-01-12	10 km
M6.8	central Mid-Atlantic Ridge	1915-05-12	10 km
M6.7	central Mid-Atlantic Ridge	2026-10-13	10 km
M6.7	central Mid-Atlantic Ridge	1918-06-03	10 km
M6.6	central Mid-Atlantic Ridge	2003-11-09	10 km

Official information

EMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)
USGS event page for this quake (ShakeMap, PAGER, felt reports)
tsunami.gov for US tsunami bulletins

Data status

USGS review status: reviewed. Magnitude type: mww. USGS last updated this event on 13 Oct 2026 at 15:39 UTC. Magnitude, depth and location can still be revised; this page keeps the same address if they change.

Questions and answers

How strong was the earthquake central Mid-Atlantic Ridge?

USGS measured it at magnitude 6.8 (mww), 10 km deep. Quakes of M6 to 6.9 are classed as strong.

Was there a tsunami?

USGS set its tsunami flag, which means the quake was large and in an ocean region, so the tsunami warning centres checked it. The flag is not a warning. Check tsunami.gov and your national agency for actual warnings and follow local officials.

Was the earthquake felt?

USGS had no felt reports when this page was updated. That is common for offshore and remote quakes. If you felt it, you can report it on the USGS event page.

Will there be more aftershocks?

Aftershocks are likely to continue for days to weeks, becoming less frequent over time. So far 1 aftershock of M2.5+ has been listed. Most sequences do not produce a larger quake, but some do. No one can predict the time or size of the next one; follow EMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre).

What should I do after a strong earthquake?

Expect aftershocks: Drop, Cover and Hold On when shaking starts again. Check for injuries and damage, stay out of damaged buildings, and use text messages instead of calls so emergency lines stay free. On a coast, move to high ground after strong shaking. Follow your local officials.

Related live pages

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Sources

USGS event page: magnitude, location, ShakeMap, PAGER and Did You Feel It? data for this event. Public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
USGS ComCat (FDSN event web service): the USGS earthquake catalog, used for the 30-year counts, history and aftershocks. Public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
USGS Geoserve: nearest places to the epicentre.
GeoNames: large-city coordinates, CC BY 4.0.

Page built 09:05 UTC, 2026-10-29. Full list: data sources and method.