M 7.1 - northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Tectonic Summary

The February 13, 2015, M 7.1 northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge earthquake occurred as the result of right-lateral strike-slip faulting on or near a transform fault forming part of the North America:Eurasia plate boundary.  At the location of this earthquake, the North America plate moves approximately westward at a rate of 21 mm/yr with respect to Eurasia. The preliminary location and mechanism of the earthquake are consistent with its occurrence on the Charlie-Gibbs Transform (the seismically active section of the Charlie-Gibbs fracture zone), though more detailed analyses of the event will be required to definitively determine the causative fault.

Moderate to large earthquakes in this region of the north Atlantic are common—over the past century, five other earthquakes of M 6.3–7.0 have occurred within 250 km of the February 13, 2015, event, likely along the same fracture zone. The largest of these was a M 7.0 event on February 13, 1967. Because of their strike-slip mechanisms and locations in the remote North Atlantic, none of these historic events are known to have caused damage. 

Hayes et al. (2016) Tectonic summaries of magnitude 7 and greater earthquakes from 2000 to 2015, USGS Open-File Report 2016-1192. (5.2 MB PDF)