Unusually powerful M7.1 Earthquake hit in the Indian Ocean 206km from Padang (Indonesia) on Tuesday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 24th, 2023. Last updated June 23rd, 2023.

An unusually powerful MAG-7.1 earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean 206 kilometer from Padang, Indonesia deep in the night of Tuesday April 25th, 2023. Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth under sea have the potential to cause tsunami's.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 24 kilometers (15 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 206 kilometer west of Padang in West Sumatra. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 34 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 25, 2023 03:00 (Jakarta Time) - Apr 24, 2023 20:00 Universal Time.
Location:	206 km west of Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Coordinates 0°48'30"N 98°30'40"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 7.1 Detected by 25 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.062 .
Depth:	34 km (21 mi) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential Tsunami Risk Mag 6.5+ earthquakes at shallow depth under sea have the potential to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential Tsunami Risk

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. This earthquake checks all the likely tsunami risk factors: under sea, at a magnitude of MAG-6.5+ and at a shallow depth.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Significant impact predicted

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

One house destroyed in Kabupaten Tapanuli Selatan, one damaged in Kabupaten Nias Selatan and one damaged on Siberut. Power outages occurred in Sumatera Barat and Sumatera Utara. A tsunami with a wave height of 10 cm was recorded on Pulau Tanahbala.

Based on scientific estimates by the USGS, the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 44% likelyhood of between 1 and 10 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 100.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 45% likelyhood of between 1 and 10 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 95% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 100 million USD.

Roughly 8 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 8 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

An estimated 8,090 people were exposed to level VIII. At this level, severe shaking and likely moderate to heavy damage can be expected. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 6.5 million). In their region, light shaking and likely 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 . Located 180 kilometer (112 mi) west of the epicenter of this earthquake, Pariaman (West Sumatra, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Pariaman is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Padang is located 206 km to the east and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Medan is located 489 km to the north (intensity unknown, possibly low). Pekanbaru is located 358 km to the east-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VIII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 59 people in 4 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 59 people have reported shaking in 27 places in 4 countries (Singapore, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Singapore, _no region, Singapore: 10 people.
• Bukit Tinggi, Sumatera Barat, Indonesia: 6 people.
• Padang, Sumatera Barat, Indonesia: 6 people.
• Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 4 people.
• Padang Pariaman, Sumatera Barat, Indonesia: 3 people.
• Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia: 3 people.
• Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia: 3 people.
• Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia: 2 people.
• Padang Sidempuan, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia: 2 people.
• Sibolga, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia: 2 people.

18 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 18 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 2 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5.1 was detected 12 km (8 mi) north-east of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 12 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 5.8

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

No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 7.1 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

Sources

Last updated 23/06/23 10:57 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000jvl3
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20230424_0000224
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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