In the morning of Friday September 6th, 2024, a shallow and significant MAG-5.3 earthquake hit in the Indian Ocean 184 kilometer from Bengkulu, Indonesia.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 25 kilometers (15 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 184 kilometer south-southeast of Bengkulu. 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: | Sep 6, 2024 08:06 (Jakarta Time) - Sep 6, 2024 01:06 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 184 km SSE of Bengkulu, Indonesia. Coordinates 5°25'9"S 102°37'31"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 131 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.051 . |
| 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
This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Located 170 kilometer (106 mi) south-southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Pagar Alam (South Sumatra, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Bandar Lampung is located 292 km to the east. Bengkulu is located 184 km to the north-northwest. Lubuklinggau is located 238 km to the north.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 170 km (106 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Pagar Alam South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 184 km (114 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Bengkulu Bengkulu, Indonesia. |
| 208 km (129 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Lahat South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 210 km (130 mi) NE from epicenter |
Tanjungagung South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 217 km (135 mi) N from epicenter |
Curup Bengkulu, Indonesia. |
| 223 km (139 mi) NE from epicenter |
Baturaja South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 238 km (148 mi) N from epicenter |
Lubuklinggau South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 258 km (160 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Kotabumi Lampung, Indonesia. |
| 284 km (176 mi) NE from epicenter |
Prabumulih South Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 292 km (181 mi) E from epicenter |
Bandar Lampung Lampung, Indonesia. |
| 293 km (182 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Terbanggi Besar Lampung, Indonesia. |
| 299 km (186 mi) E from epicenter |
Metro Lampung, Indonesia. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
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 25th, 2024, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 84 km (52 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on November 18th, 2022.
In total, 50 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 5.3. 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 16/09/24 01:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000npz9
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240906_0000010
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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