How frequent are earthquakes in or near North West, South Africa?

North West has relatively few earthquakes. Based on data from the past 54 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 63 quakes on average per year in or near North West, South Africa. However, North West has had at least 36 quakes above magnitude 5 since 1970, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 1 to 5 years.

How many earthquakes occur every year in or near North West, South Africa?

On average, North West has about 27.8 quakes of magnitude 3 or higher per year.

When was the latest earthquake in North West?

The last earthquake in North West occurred 6 days ago and had a magnitude of 3.0: A light magnitude 3.0 earthquake hit 2.6 km (1.6 mi) away from Randfontein, Gauteng, South Africa, in the evening of Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 8.06 pm local time (Africa/Johannesburg GMT +2). The quake had a very shallow depth of 10 km (6 mi) and was felt widely in the area.

How many quakes were there in North West since 2024?

Since 2024, North West has been shaken by 0 quakes of magnitude 4.0 or above and 23 quakes between 3.0 and 4.0.

What was the strongest quake in North West since 2024?

The strongest earthquake in North West since 2024 had a magnitude of 4.0 and occurred 12 weeks ago: A moderate magnitude 4.0 earthquake hit 6.3 km (3.9 mi) away from Boksburg, Gauteng, South Africa, in the late afternoon of Thursday, Feb 22, 2024 at 7.26 pm local time (Africa/Johannesburg GMT +2). The quake had a very shallow depth of 10 km (6 mi) and was felt widely in the area.

1 quake Mag. 1+

1 quake Mag. 2+

Number of quakes vs long-term average, past 7 days

Latest quakes in or near North West, South Africa - list, stats and map

Latest See all	Mag. 3.0 earthquake 2.6 km south of Randfontein - Gauteng, South Africa - May 8, 2024 -
Strongest since 2024	Mag. 4? possible quake Near Johannesburg - Gauteng, South Africa - Feb 22, 2024 -

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Updated: May 15, 2024 05:57 GMT - refresh

Find all latest earthquakes in or near North West, South Africa, in our list below, updated every minute! Events are often reported within minutes. If you just felt a quake in or near North West, find out which quakes are happening right now!

On this page: Map Quake List Archive Quake Stats FAQ

There were no significant confirmed earthquakes in or near North West in the past 24 hours.

Since 2024, North West has had 23 quakes of magnitudes above 3 and up to 4.0:

0 quakes above magnitude 4
23 quakes between magnitude 3 and 4

See all quakes in the past 24 hours!

Number of quakes per year

	Total number	<M2	M2+	M3+	M4+	M5+	M6+	M7+
Past 7 days	1 quake	no data	no data	1	-	-	-	-
Past 30 days	6 quakes	no data	no data	6	-	-	-	-
Past 90 days	15 quakes	no data	no data	15	-	-	-	-
Past 365 days	51 quakes	no data	no data	49	1	1	-	-
Past 3 years	347 quakes	no data	219	117	10	1	-	-

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Showing all recent or significant quakes since 2024, magnitude 0 or higher, within up to 100 km (62 mi) distance (35 quakes):

Latest quakes in or near North West, South Africa - list, stats and map
Date and Time	Mag Depth	Nearest Volcano	Location	Details
May 8, 08:06 pm (Johannesburg)	3.0 10 km	31 km (19 mi) to the E	2.6 km south of Randfontein, Gauteng, South Africa I FELT IT - 82 reports	Info
May 8, 07:36 pm (GMT +2)	? n/a	28 km (17 mi) to the E	Near Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa (unconfirmed) I FELT IT - 111 reports	Info
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 GMT (2 quakes)
May 7, 01:12 pm (Johannesburg)	3.6 10 km	41 km (25 mi) to the SE	South Africa 1 report	Info
May 7, 09:25 am (Johannesburg)	3.0 10 km		0.2 km northwest of Klerksdorp, North West, South Africa I FELT IT - 17 reports	Info
Tuesday, April 30, 2024 GMT (1 quake)
Apr 30, 05:47 pm (Johannesburg)	3.2 10 km	34 km (21 mi) to the SE	9.2 km northwest of Allanridge, Free, South Africa	Info
Saturday, April 27, 2024 GMT (1 quake)
Apr 27, 10:52 am (Johannesburg)	3.1 10 km	70 km (43 mi) to the W	South Africa	Info
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 GMT (1 quake)
Apr 23, 07:26 am (Johannesburg)	3.2 10 km		South Africa 13 reports	Info
Friday, April 19, 2024 GMT (1 quake)
Apr 19, 11:15 pm (Johannesburg)	3.3 10 km	17 km (10.6 mi) to the SE	South Africa 18 reports	Info
Tuesday, April 9, 2024 GMT (1 quake)
Apr 9, 03:06 pm (Johannesburg)	3.1 10 km	26 km (16 mi) to the E	South Africa 3 reports	Info
Monday, April 8, 2024 GMT (2 quakes)
Apr 8, 02:06 pm (Johannesburg)	3.0 10 km	13 km (8.1 mi) to the NE	South Africa	Info
Apr 8, 03:43 am (Johannesburg)	3.0 10 km	1 km (0.6 mi) to the SE	South Africa 2 reports	Info

About these data

North West Quake-O-Meter

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Number of quakes vs average

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Earthquake statistics

Average number of earthquakes

Based on data from the past 54 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 63 quakes on average per year in or near North West, South Africa:

Mag. 5 or higher: 0.66 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 1.5 years)
Mag. 4 or higher: 6.3 quakes per year
Mag. 3 or higher: 27.8 quakes per year
Mag. 2 or higher: 65 quakes per year (or 5.4 quakes per month)

North West has relatively few earthquakes. However, North West has had at least 36 quakes above magnitude 5 since 1970, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 1 to 5 years.

Detailed stats