Magnitude 5.2 earthquake strikes south of Malta

A magnitude-five earthquake to the south of Malta, was felt across the islands on Tuesday evening followed by two smaller aftershocks.

The earthquake, which measured 5.2 on the Richter Scale, struck some 100km south of Malta at 9:25pm, the Seismic Monitoring and Research Group (SMRG) of the University of Malta said.

The SMRG also recorded two smaller quakes measuring 4.3 and 3.6 on the Richter Scale at 10:42pm and 11:10pm respectively.

A graph published by the SMRG showing the 5.2 magnitude earthquake that struck on Tuesday evening (Photo: SMRG)

The main earthquake was felt across many parts of the islands with some people reporting rattling glass panes and sliding furniture.

The earthquakes occurred in a zone between Malta and Libya that has experienced intense seismic activity over the past week.

On Monday, another 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit the same zone at 11:38am, followed by a minor tremor four minutes later. The earthquake happened 92km south of Malta at a depth of 10km. This was followed by a second earthquake at 4:28pm with a magnitude of 4.3.

Between 17 and 19 January, 10 significant earthquakes were registered in the same area, two of which measured 5.1 on the Richter Scale.