On Tuesday Morning an Unusually powerful M5.9 Earthquake struck in the South Pacific Ocean 101km from Manokwari (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 9th, 2024. Last updated May 20th, 2024.

In the morning of Tuesday April 9th, 2024, an unusually powerful Magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit in the South Pacific Ocean 101 kilometer from Manokwari, Indonesia. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 0.8 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the South Pacific Ocean, 27 kilometers (17 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 101 kilometer south-southeast of Manokwari in West Papua. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 7 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 9, 2024 09:02 (Jayapura Time) - Apr 9, 2024 00:02 Universal Time.
Location:	101 km SSE of Manokwari, West Papua, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°41'42"S 134°25'25"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 32 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.055 .
Depth:	7 km (4 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 0.8 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 0.8 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 11,380 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 530 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Manokwari in West Papua, Indonesia. Manokwari is located 101 kilometer (63 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Manokwari is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is V.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

26 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 26 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 14 km (9 mi) north-northeast of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 min later. It measured a magnitude of 5.5

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 10th, 2021, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 294 km (182 mi) further south. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 1 earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 10 years.

Low tsunami risk

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 20/05/24 02:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000maw0
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240409_0000002
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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