Deep in the night of Wednesday September 18th, 2024, an unusually powerful Magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit in the Indian Ocean 90 kilometer from Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 92 kilometers (57 mi) off the coast of Madagascar, 90 kilometer south-southeast of Tôlanaro in Anosy. 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 18, 2024 03:25 (Antananarivo Time) - Sep 18, 2024 00:25 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 90 km SSE of Tôlanaro, Anosy, Madagascar. Coordinates 25°46'47"S 47°19'52"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 . |
| 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 Madagascar . Located 90 kilometer (56 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Tôlanaro (Anosy, Madagascar) is the nearest significant population center.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 90 km (56 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Tôlanaro Anosy, Madagascar. |
| 126 km (78 mi) NW from epicenter |
Amboasary Anosy, Madagascar. |
| 142 km (88 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Ambovombe Androy, Madagascar. |
| 193 km (120 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Tsiombe Androy, Madagascar. |
| 239 km (149 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Beloha Androy, Madagascar. |
| 249 km (155 mi) N from epicenter |
Vohipaho Atsimo-Atsinanana, Madagascar. |
| 272 km (169 mi) N from epicenter |
Vangaindrano Atsimo-Atsinanana, Madagascar. |
| 287 km (178 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Ampanihy Atsimo-Andrefana, Madagascar. |
Shaking reported by 6 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 6 people have reported shaking in one place in Madagascar.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Taolanaro, Toliary, Madagascar: 6 people.
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
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.
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).This is an unusually powerful earthquake
No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 5.3 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.
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 15/10/24 04:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000nstp
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240918_0000006
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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