Shallow M5.9 AFTERSHOCK hit in the Banda Sea 343km from Ambon (Indonesia) on Friday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 10th, 2023. Last updated December 8th, 2023.

A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.9 aftershock struck in the Banda Sea 343 kilometer from Ambon, Indonesia in the early afternoon of Friday November 10th, 2023. Roughly 70 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Banda Sea, 179 kilometers (111 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 343 kilometer south-east of Ambon in Maluku. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Nov 10, 2023 12:50 (Jayapura Time) - Nov 10, 2023 03:50 Universal Time.
Location:	343 km SE of Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia. Coordinates 6°1'12"S 130°13'7"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.9 Detected by 19 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.071 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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 70 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 70 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 65,290 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Located 284 kilometer (176 mi) west of the epicenter of this earthquake, Tual (Maluku, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is IV. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake was an aftershock. A larger mag. 7.1 earthquake struck 86 km (54 mi) west-southwest in advance of this 5.9 earthquake around 2 days earlier.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

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

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 25 earthquakes 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 5 months.

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 08/12/23 06:58 (). 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 us7000l9ze
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231110_0000035
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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