Shackleton Fracture Zone


The Shackleton Fracture Zone is an undersea fracture zone and fault located in the Drake Passage, at the separation between the Scotia Plate from the Antarctic Plate. The Shackleton Fracture Zone runs in a northwest to southeast direction from the South American continental shelf to the South Shetland Islands.

Earthquakes

A number of earthquakes of moderate strength occur in the fracture zone intermittently. Listed are all quakes with a moment magnitude greater than 6.0.
DateMwMMIDepth CoordinatesNotes
2018-10-296.3IV10.0
2012-04-146.2III15.0
2010-01-176.3II5.0Followed by two Mw >4.5 aftershocks
1976-02-146.040.0
1975-12-296.514.0Strongest recorded earthquake in the Shackleton Fracture Zone to date
Followed by three Mw >4.5 aftershocks
1960-02-086.415.0
1954-08-286.015.0
1944-11-216.310.0
1930-07-136.310.0