On Monday Night a Shallow M5.5 AFTERSHOCK struck in the Seram Sea 272km from Sorong (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 5th, 2024. Last updated May 18th, 2024.

A shallow and significant MAG-5.5 aftershock struck in the Seram Sea 272 kilometer from Sorong, Indonesia in the early morning of Monday May 6th, 2024. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 400 thousand people.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Seram Sea, 20 kilometers (13 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 272 kilometer south of Sorong in West Papua. 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:	May 6, 2024 05:37 (Jayapura Time) - May 5, 2024 20:37 Universal Time.
Location:	272 km south of Sorong, West Papua, Indonesia. Coordinates 3°18'19"S 130°56'11"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.5 Detected by 24 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.063 .
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 400 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 400 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 3,710 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 300 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Amahai in Maluku, Indonesia. Amahai is located 224 kilometer (139 mi) east of the epicenter.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured 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

This is likely an aftershock

Approximately 2 hrs before this earthquake hit, a larger 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck 3 km (1.9 mi) east-southeast of this one. For that reason, we classify the Mag. 5.5 earthquake as an 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, 18 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.5 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 7 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 18/05/24 21:18 (). 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 us6000mwkd
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240505_0000265
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: