Written by on . Last updated October 18th, 2024.

Under land 32 kilometer from Denpasar in Indonesia, a shallow M4.6 earthquake occurred in the morning of Saturday September 21st, 2024.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article: Share on Facebook Tweet Submit to Reddit Share on LinkedIn

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 32 kilometer (20 mi) north-northeast of Denpasar in Bali. 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 21, 2024 07:26 (Makassar Time)
- Sep 20, 2024 23:26 Universal Time.
Location: 32 km NNE of Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia.
Coordinates 8°22'58"S 115°20'8"E.
Map: Map of area around epicenter.
Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude: MAG 4.6
Detected by 44 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.082 .
Depth: 10 km (6 mi)
A very shallow depth.
Tsunami Risk: Tsunami very unlikely
While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (22 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's.
Always stay cautious - More info here.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Ubud in Bali, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 16 kilometer (10 mi) north-northeast of Ubud.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Denpasar is located 32 km to the south-southwest. Situbondo is located 164 km to the west-northwest. Mataram is located 89 km to the east-southeast.

A complete list of nearby places is included below.

Overview of nearby places

Distance Place
16 km (10 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Ubud

Bali, Indonesia.
18 km (11 mi)
SSE from epicenter
Klungkung

Bali, Indonesia.
29 km (18 mi)
SW from epicenter
Tabanan

Bali, Indonesia.
29 km (18 mi)
ESE from epicenter
Bedugul

Bali, Indonesia.
31 km (19 mi)
ESE from epicenter
Amlapura city

Bali, Indonesia.
32 km (20 mi)
ESE from epicenter
Amlapura

Bali, Indonesia.
32 km (20 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Denpasar

Bali, Indonesia.
41 km (25 mi)
NW from epicenter
Singaraja

Bali, Indonesia.
42 km (26 mi)
SSW from epicenter
Kuta

Bali, Indonesia.
46 km (29 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Banjar

Bali, Indonesia.
48 km (30 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Seririt

Bali, Indonesia.
79 km (49 mi)
W from epicenter
Negara

Bali, Indonesia.
89 km (55 mi)
ESE from epicenter
Mataram

West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
109 km (68 mi)
W from epicenter
Banyuwangi

East Java, Indonesia.
109 km (68 mi)
ESE from epicenter
Praya

West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
110 km (68 mi)
W from epicenter
Muncar

East Java, Indonesia.
112 km (70 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Wongsorejo

East Java, Indonesia.
118 km (73 mi)
W from epicenter
Srono

East Java, Indonesia.
121 km (75 mi)
W from epicenter
Singojuruh

East Java, Indonesia.
130 km (81 mi)
W from epicenter
Genteng

East Java, Indonesia.
131 km (81 mi)
W from epicenter
Gambiran Satu

East Java, Indonesia.
154 km (96 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Panji

East Java, Indonesia.
164 km (102 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Situbondo

East Java, Indonesia.
172 km (107 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Balung

East Java, Indonesia.
173 km (107 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Panarukan

East Java, Indonesia.
175 km (109 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Bondowoso

East Java, Indonesia.
182 km (113 mi)
W from epicenter
Jember

East Java, Indonesia.
194 km (121 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Besuki

East Java, Indonesia.
213 km (132 mi)
NW from epicenter
Kalianget

East Java, Indonesia.
217 km (135 mi)
W from epicenter
Kencong

East Java, Indonesia.
223 km (139 mi)
NW from epicenter
Sumenep

East Java, Indonesia.
224 km (139 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Kraksaan

East Java, Indonesia.
230 km (143 mi)
E from epicenter
Sumbawa Besar

West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.
234 km (145 mi)
W from epicenter
Lumajang

East Java, Indonesia.
244 km (152 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Probolinggo

East Java, Indonesia.
246 km (153 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Pamekasan

East Java, Indonesia.
266 km (165 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Sampang

East Java, Indonesia.
280 km (174 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Pasuruan

East Java, Indonesia.
285 km (177 mi)
W from epicenter
Dampit

East Java, Indonesia.
291 km (181 mi)
WNW from epicenter
Bangil

East Java, Indonesia.
297 km (185 mi)
W from epicenter
Lawang

East Java, Indonesia.
298 km (185 mi)
W from epicenter
Gongdanglegi Kulon

East Java, Indonesia.
299 km (186 mi)
W from epicenter
Singosari

East Java, Indonesia.
Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.

Shaking reported by 198 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 198 people have reported shaking in 11 places, all within Indonesia.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

  • Kuta, Bali, Indonesia: 75 people.
  • Ubud, Bali, Indonesia: 49 people.
  • Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia: 43 people.
  • Klungkung, Bali, Indonesia: 15 people.
  • Tabanan, Bali, Indonesia: 6 people.
  • Mataram, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia: 3 people.
  • Negara, Bali, Indonesia: 2 people.
  • Singaraja, Bali, Indonesia: 2 people.
  • Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia: 1 person.
  • Margahayu, Jawa Barat, Indonesia: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. A 2.7 magnitude earthquake hit 15 mins later 23 km (14 mi) south of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 15 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 2.9

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Classification Magnitude When Where
Foreshock M 2.9 15 hrs earlier
Sep 20, 2024 16:20 (Makassar Time)
81 km (50 mi)
NW from Main Shock.
Foreshock M 2.5 9 mins earlier
Sep 21, 2024 07:16 (Makassar Time)
37 km (23 mi)
ENE from Main Shock.
Main Shock
This Earthquake
M 4.6 Sep 21, 2024 07:26
(Makassar Time)
-
Aftershock M 2.7 15 mins later
Sep 21, 2024 07:41 (Makassar Time)
23 km (14 mi)
S from Main Shock.
Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the 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.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

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 September 7th, 2024, when a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit 7 km (4 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on August 28th, 2023.

In total, 196 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.6 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 19 days.

Tsunami very unlikely

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.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always 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 on land near a coastal area (22 km from the sea). Not this earthquake.
This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.6. 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 18/10/24 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.

  1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000ntee
  2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240920_0000211
  3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
  4. Google Maps: Static API
  5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: Share on Facebook Tweet Submit to Reddit Share on LinkedIn