Strong M6.1 Earthquake hit in the Indian Ocean 129km from Bandung (Indonesia) on Saturday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on April 27th, 2024. Last updated May 15th, 2024.

In the Indian Ocean 129 kilometer from Bandung, Indonesia, a strong M6.1 earthquake occurred in the evening of Saturday April 27th, 2024. Around 64 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 61 kilometers (38 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 129 kilometer south-southwest of Bandung in West Java. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 62 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Apr 27, 2024 23:29 (Jakarta Time) - Apr 27, 2024 16:29 Universal Time.
Location:	129 km SSW of Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Coordinates 8°1'58"S 107°16'30"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.1 Detected by 50 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.044 .
Depth:	62 km (38 mi) A quite 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

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

One person died of a heart attack at Bandung. Three persons injured and 24 houses damaged in Bandung; 10 homes damaged in Bogor; 2 people injured, 2 structures collapsed and 117 others damaged in Ciamis; 3 homes and 1 building damaged in Cianjur; 3 buildings damaged in Cimahi; 6 persons injured, 16 buildings destroyed and 496 damaged in Garut; 1 home destroyed and 17 damaged in Sukabumi; 1 person injured, 13 homes destroyed, 28 homes and 8 buildings damaged at Tasikmalaya.

Based on scientific estimates by the 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 64 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 64 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 480,000 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 54 million) live in an area exposed to level IV, where light shaking and likely 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 . Banjar in West Java, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 95 kilometer (59 mi) south of Banjar. The intensity of shaking and damage in Banjar is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Jakarta is located 208 km to the north-northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Bandung is located 129 km to the north-northeast and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Bekasi is located 202 km to the north and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage).

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 graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is V.

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 105 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 105 people have reported shaking in 42 places in 2 countries (External Territories of Australia, Indonesia).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Bandung, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 20 people.
• Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia: 14 people.
• Bogor, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 6 people.
• Pamulang, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 5 people.
• Banjar, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 4 people.
• Tarogong, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 3 people.
• Depok, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 3 people.
• Dayeuh Kolot, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 3 people.
• Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia: 3 people.
• Batu Jajar, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 3 people.

3 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 3 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 69 km (43 mi) east-southeast of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 day later. It measured a magnitude of 3.7

In the days before this main shock, 3 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days earlier nearby.

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.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 14th, 2022, when a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit 255 km (158 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on August 2nd, 2019.

In total, 3 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 3 years.

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 15/05/24 17:58 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000muc0
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240427_0000220
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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