Shallow M5.7 Earthquake struck on Tuesday Evening in the Indian Ocean 156km from Meulaboh (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 28th, 2024. Last updated July 26th, 2024.

In the evening of Tuesday May 28th, 2024, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.7 earthquake hit in the Indian Ocean 156 kilometer from Meulaboh, Indonesia. Roughly 1.4 million people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, right off the coast of Indonesia (5 mi offshore), 156 kilometer south-southwest of Meulaboh in Aceh. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 11 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	May 28, 2024 18:52 (Jakarta Time) - May 28, 2024 11:52 Universal Time.
Location:	156 km SSW of Meulaboh, Aceh, Indonesia. Coordinates 2°50'18"N 95°37'21"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 18 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 .
Depth:	11 km (7 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 1.4 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 1.4 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.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VI, which corresponds with strong shaking and probably light damage. Roughly 3,100 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 1.2 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
65,280	II	Very weak	None
1,248,000	III	Weak	Probably none
61,670	IV	Light	Likely none
31,110	V	Moderate	Very light
3,100	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Located 156 kilometer (97 mi) south-southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Meulaboh (Aceh, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center. Meulaboh experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
156 km (97 mi) NNE from epicenter	Meulaboh Aceh, Indonesia.	III Weak
248 km (154 mi) ESE from epicenter	Singkil Aceh, Indonesia.
274 km (170 mi) NNE from epicenter	Reuleuet Aceh, Indonesia.
286 km (178 mi) N from epicenter	Sigli Aceh, Indonesia.
289 km (180 mi) NNE from epicenter	Bireun Aceh, Indonesia.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VI. 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

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. Just 1 day after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.6 was detected 13 km (8 mi) south of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.7	May 28, 2024 18:52 (Jakarta Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.6	1 day later May 29, 2024 23:54 (Jakarta Time)	13 km (8 mi) S from Main Shock.

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.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

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 15th, 2023, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 280 km (174 mi) further east-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on December 6th, 2016.

In total, 5 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 years.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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

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	This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 11 km (7 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 26/07/24 20:48 (). 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.