In the Maluku Sea 176 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia, a significant M5.2 earthquake occurred in the morning of Monday August 26th, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 113 kilometers (70 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 176 kilometer east-southeast of Manado in North Sulawesi. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 35 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Aug 26, 2024 09:17 (Jayapura Time) - Aug 26, 2024 00:17 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 176 km ESE of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°4'19"N 126°22'54"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 88 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.061 . |
| Depth: | 35 km (22 mi) A quite 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
This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Ternate in North Maluku, Indonesia. Ternate is located 116 kilometer (72 mi) west-northwest of the epicenter.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 116 km (72 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 136 km (85 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 165 km (103 mi) W from epicenter |
Tondano North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 176 km (109 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Manado North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 178 km (111 mi) W from epicenter |
Tomohon North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
2 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. Just 1 day after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.5 was detected 55 km (34 mi) north of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 2 smaller foreshocks occurred. Roughly 2 hrs before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.5 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.1 |
1 day earlier Aug 25, 2024 00:11 (Jayapura Time) | 56 km (35 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.5 |
2 hrs earlier Aug 26, 2024 07:38 (Jayapura Time) | 22 km (13 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Aug 26, 2024 09:17 (Jayapura Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
1 day later Aug 27, 2024 09:38 (Jayapura Time) | 55 km (34 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.3 |
2 days later Aug 28, 2024 08:10 (Jayapura Time) | 25 km (15 mi) SE 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 July 16th, 2024, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 34 km (21 mi) further west-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on July 14th, 2019.
In total, 158 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 23 days.
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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 35 km (22 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 17/09/24 02:38 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000n9en
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240826_0000004
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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