The deformation at this plate boundary is transpressional in style, with dextral (right lateral) strike-slip accompanied by slow convergence (4 mm/yr).

[6] Linear bathymetric features within this zone, such as the SW–NE trending Gorringe Bank, are thought to be a result of reverse faulting.

The earthquake was located within the Horseshoe Abyssal Plain, where active reverse faulting has been imaged on seismic reflection data.

Damage to local buildings was "moderate", according to the United States Geological Survey.

Twenty seconds after the rupture onset, a larger subevent occurred with a strike-slip mechanism at shallower depths, reaching the seafloor.