Under land 140 kilometer from Jayapura in Indonesia, a significant MAG-5.3 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Monday November 13th, 2023.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 140 kilometer (87 mi) south-southwest of Jayapura in Papua. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 40 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 13, 2023 05:38 (Jayapura Time) - Nov 12, 2023 20:38 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 140 km SSW of Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia. Coordinates 3°40'2"S 140°9'36"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 14 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.083 . |
| Depth: | 40 km (25 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Abepura in Papua, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 130 kilometer (81 mi) south-southwest of Abepura.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 130 km (81 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Abepura Papua, Indonesia. |
| 140 km (87 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Jayapura Papua, Indonesia. |
Aftershocks detected
This main shock was prefaced by 3 smaller foreshocks. Roughly 5 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.5 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.4 |
3 days earlier Nov 10, 2023 15:29 (Jayapura Time) | 34 km (21 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.9 |
2 days earlier Nov 10, 2023 21:36 (Jayapura Time) | 57 km (35 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.5 |
5 hrs earlier Nov 13, 2023 00:55 (Jayapura Time) | 82 km (51 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Nov 13, 2023 05:38 (Jayapura Time) | - |
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.
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
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 July 3rd, 2023, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 10 km (6 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7 earthquake struck on July 27th, 2015.
In total, 53 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. 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 | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 40 km (25 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 27/11/23 22:18 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000laid
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231112_0000199
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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