Shallow M6.1 AFTERSHOCK hit in the Banda Sea 338km from Ambon (Indonesia) on Saturday Night.

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

In the early morning of Saturday November 11th, 2023, a shallow and strong MAG-6.1 aftershock hit in the Banda Sea 338 kilometer from Ambon, Indonesia. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 70 thousand people.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Banda Sea, 181 kilometers (113 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 338 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 11, 2023 05:45 (Jayapura Time) - Nov 10, 2023 20:45 Universal Time.
Location:	338 km SE of Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia. Coordinates 6°5'51"S 130°3'38"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.1 Detected by 51 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.043 .
Depth:	10 km (6 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 70 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 70 thousand 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.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 190 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 70 thousand) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Tual in Maluku, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 302 kilometer (188 mi) west of Tual.

Overview of nearby places

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake is likely an aftershock of the MAG-7.1 earthquake that struck 3 days earlier. That main earthquake hit 67 km (42 mi) west-southwest of the epicenter of this MAG-6.1 aftershock.

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

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. In total, 14 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.1 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 9 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 01:28 (). 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 us7000la7r
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231110_0000390
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: