In the night of Tuesday November 7th, 2023, a significant Magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit in the Banda Sea 270 kilometer from Dili, Timor-Leste.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Banda Sea, 113 kilometers (70 mi) off the coast of Timor-Leste, 270 kilometer east-northeast of Dili in Díli. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 173 km.
| Date and Time: | Nov 7, 2023 00:36 (Dili Time) - Nov 6, 2023 15:36 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 270 km ENE of Dili, Díli, Timor-Leste. Coordinates 7°29'53"S 127°46'45"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 17 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.075 . |
| Depth: | 173 km (107 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 at depths deeper than 100km are very unlikely to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Timor-Leste . Located 143 kilometer (89 mi) north-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Lospalos (Lautém, Timor-Leste) is the nearest significant population center.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 143 km (89 mi) SW from epicenter |
Lospalos Lautém, Timor-Leste. |
| 182 km (113 mi) SW from epicenter |
Baukau Baucau, Timor-Leste. |
| 200 km (124 mi) SW from epicenter |
Venilale Baucau, Timor-Leste. |
| 270 km (168 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Dili Díli, Timor-Leste. |
| 279 km (173 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Aileu Aileu, Timor-Leste. |
| 294 km (183 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Likisá Liquiçá, Timor-Leste. |
Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. At a distance of 48 km (30 mi) west-southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 22 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.5
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Nov 7, 2023 00:36 (Dili Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
22 hrs later Nov 7, 2023 22:33 (Dili Time) | 48 km (30 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since October 28th, 2023, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 208 km (129 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on January 9th, 2023.
In total, 58 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 2 months.
Tsunami very unlikely
For a serious tsunami to occur, earthquakes usually need to have a magnitude of at least 6.5 and occur at a shallow depth of maximum 100km. Neither are the case with this earthquake. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 173 km (107 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 08/12/23 04:08 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000l95l
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231106_0000147
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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