In the Banda Sea 191 kilometer from Atambua, Indonesia, a shallow and significant MAG-5.1 earthquake occurred deep in the night of Friday August 23rd, 2024. Another nearby country is Timor-Leste.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Banda Sea, right off the coast of Indonesia (9 mi offshore), 191 kilometer north-northeast of Atambua in East Nusa Tenggara. 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: | Aug 23, 2024 03:42 (Dili Time) - Aug 22, 2024 18:42 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 104 km NNE of Dili, Díli, Timor-Leste. Coordinates 7°39'5"S 125°48'26"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 10 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.098 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Timor-Leste and Indonesia .
Dili in Díli, Timor-Leste is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 104 kilometer (65 mi) north-northeast of Dili.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 104 km (65 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Dili Díli, Timor-Leste. |
| 116 km (72 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Likisá Liquiçá, Timor-Leste. |
| 116 km (72 mi) SE from epicenter |
Baukau Baucau, Timor-Leste. |
| 123 km (76 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Aileu Aileu, Timor-Leste. |
| 126 km (78 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Maubara Liquiçá, Timor-Leste. |
| 127 km (79 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Venilale Baucau, Timor-Leste. |
| 162 km (101 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Maliana Bobonaro, Timor-Leste. |
| 163 km (101 mi) SE from epicenter |
Lospalos Lautém, Timor-Leste. |
| 191 km (119 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Atambua East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 194 km (121 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Suai Cova Lima, Timor-Leste. |
| 247 km (153 mi) SW from epicenter |
Kefamenanu East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 297 km (185 mi) SW from epicenter |
Soe East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
Shaking reported by 3 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have reported shaking in one place in East Timor.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Dili, Dili, East Timor: 3 people.
2 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 2 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.3 was detected 83 km (52 mi) north of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Aug 23, 2024 03:42 (Dili Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
60 mins later Aug 23, 2024 04:42 (Dili Time) | 16 km (10 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
2 days later Aug 24, 2024 19:37 (Dili Time) | 83 km (52 mi) N 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.
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.
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 November 6th, 2023, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 218 km (135 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck on December 29th, 2021.
In total, 51 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 2 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
| 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 15/09/24 21:48 (). 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 us7000n8u3
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240822_0000209
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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