Shallow M5.2 Earthquake struck on Thursday Morning in the Bay Of Bengal 183km from Port Blair (India).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on September 19th, 2024. Last updated October 15th, 2024.

A shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake struck in the Bay Of Bengal 183 kilometer from Port Blair, India in the morning of Thursday September 19th, 2024. Roughly 270 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Bay Of Bengal, 84 kilometers (52 mi) off the coast of India, 183 kilometer southwest of Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar. 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 19, 2024 10:50 (Kolkata Time) - Sep 19, 2024 05:20 Universal Time.
Location:	183 km SW of Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar, India. Coordinates 10°27'40"N 91°36'30"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.2 Detected by 19 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.071 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light 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 270 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 270 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 153,200 people were exposed to level III. At this level, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of India .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
121,500	II	Very weak	None
153,200	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	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 India . Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar, India is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 183 kilometer (114 mi) southwest of Port Blair. The intensity of shaking and damage in Port Blair is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
183 km (114 mi) NE from epicenter	Port Blair Andaman and Nicobar, India.	III Weak

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is IV.

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.

2 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. Just 2 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.9 was detected 16 km (10 mi) north 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 5.2	Sep 19, 2024 10:50 (Kolkata Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.9	2 days later Sep 21, 2024 22:11 (Kolkata Time)	16 km (10 mi) N from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.3	3 days later Sep 22, 2024 00:12 (Kolkata Time)	9 km (5 mi) NNE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

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).

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 June 26th, 2024, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 297 km (185 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck on July 28th, 2023.

In total, 10 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 year.

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 5.2. 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 02:48 (). 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.