A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck the Khulna Division of Bangladesh on Friday, February 27, 2026, at 1:52 pm local time, generating over 160 felt reports, according to data released Saturday by EarthquakeMonitor.
The quake was the strongest of 568 earthquakes recorded globally in the past 24 hours, including four above magnitude 5.0 and 44 above magnitude 4.0. The total seismic energy released during that period was estimated at 3.6 x 1013 joules, equivalent to approximately 9.97 gigawatt hours, or 8582 tons of TNT.
The second largest quake, also registering 5.3 on the Richter scale, occurred in the South Atlantic Ocean, 245 kilometers northwest of The Stars Village, Antarctica, on Friday at 2:31 pm GMT-4. A magnitude 5.2 earthquake was recorded in the East China Sea, 57 kilometers northwest of Miyakojima, Okinawa, Japan, at 11:54 am GMT+9 on Friday. Another quake of magnitude 5.0 was reported in the same region at 11:48 pm GMT+9 on Friday.
Seismic activity was also reported near Yamaguchi, Japan, with a magnitude 4.6 event 44 miles southwest of Atka, Alaska, and a 4.9 magnitude quake in the Aru Sea, west of Dobo, Indonesia. A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck near Aghsu, Azerbaijan, and a 4.9 magnitude quake was reported along the Southwest Indian Ridge.
Several smaller, but felt, earthquakes were reported across the globe. A magnitude 3.5 quake was felt in the Caucasus Region of Russia, with 15 reports. A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck Estado de Jalisco, Mexico, generating 13 reports. A magnitude 4.6 earthquake was felt near Sarpol-e Zahab, Iran, with six reports. A magnitude 4.6 quake was also reported near Te Anau, New Zealand, and a magnitude 4.8 near Vanikoro Island, Solomon Islands.
Volcano Discovery reported seismic-like events, possible earthquakes, near San Diego, California; Yoro, Honduras; and Yamaguchi, Japan earlier Saturday, though these events were not included in the EarthquakeMonitor’s magnitude 3.0+ report.
