A shallow M4.6 earthquake struck under land 30 kilometer from Denpasar in Indonesia in the morning of Saturday September 21st, 2024.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Indonesia, 30 kilometer (19 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: | 30 km NNE of Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. Coordinates 8°25'7"S 115°21'20"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.6 Detected by 19 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.125 . |
| 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 (18 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 . Klungkung in Bali, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 14 kilometer (9 mi) north-northwest of Klungkung.
Major cities near this earthquake: Denpasar is located 30 km to the south-southwest. Mataram is located 86 km to the east-southeast. Situbondo is located 168 km to the west-northwest.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 14 km (9 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ubud Bali, Indonesia. |
| 14 km (9 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Klungkung Bali, Indonesia. |
| 26 km (16 mi) E from epicenter |
Bedugul Bali, Indonesia. |
| 28 km (17 mi) E from epicenter |
Amlapura city Bali, Indonesia. |
| 29 km (18 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Tabanan Bali, Indonesia. |
| 29 km (18 mi) E from epicenter |
Amlapura Bali, Indonesia. |
| 30 km (19 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Denpasar Bali, Indonesia. |
| 39 km (24 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Kuta Bali, Indonesia. |
| 45 km (28 mi) NW from epicenter |
Singaraja Bali, Indonesia. |
| 50 km (31 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Banjar Bali, Indonesia. |
| 52 km (32 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Seririt Bali, Indonesia. |
| 82 km (51 mi) W from epicenter |
Negara Bali, Indonesia. |
| 86 km (53 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Mataram West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 106 km (66 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Praya West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 112 km (70 mi) W from epicenter |
Banyuwangi East Java, Indonesia. |
| 112 km (70 mi) W from epicenter |
Muncar East Java, Indonesia. |
| 115 km (71 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Wongsorejo East Java, Indonesia. |
| 120 km (75 mi) W from epicenter |
Srono East Java, Indonesia. |
| 124 km (77 mi) W from epicenter |
Singojuruh East Java, Indonesia. |
| 133 km (83 mi) W from epicenter |
Gambiran Satu East Java, Indonesia. |
| 133 km (83 mi) W from epicenter |
Genteng East Java, Indonesia. |
| 158 km (98 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Panji East Java, Indonesia. |
| 168 km (104 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Situbondo East Java, Indonesia. |
| 176 km (109 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Balung East Java, Indonesia. |
| 177 km (110 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Panarukan East Java, Indonesia. |
| 178 km (111 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Bondowoso East Java, Indonesia. |
| 184 km (114 mi) W from epicenter |
Jember East Java, Indonesia. |
| 198 km (123 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Besuki East Java, Indonesia. |
| 217 km (135 mi) NW from epicenter |
Kalianget East Java, Indonesia. |
| 219 km (136 mi) W from epicenter |
Kencong East Java, Indonesia. |
| 227 km (141 mi) NW from epicenter |
Sumenep East Java, Indonesia. |
| 227 km (141 mi) E from epicenter |
Sumbawa Besar West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. |
| 228 km (142 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Kraksaan East Java, Indonesia. |
| 237 km (147 mi) W from epicenter |
Lumajang East Java, Indonesia. |
| 247 km (153 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Probolinggo East Java, Indonesia. |
| 250 km (155 mi) NW from epicenter |
Pamekasan East Java, Indonesia. |
| 270 km (168 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Sampang East Java, Indonesia. |
| 283 km (176 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Pasuruan East Java, Indonesia. |
| 288 km (179 mi) W from epicenter |
Dampit East Java, Indonesia. |
| 294 km (183 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Bangil East Java, Indonesia. |
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. Just 15 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-2.7 was detected 19 km (12 mi) south of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 2 smaller foreshocks occurred. 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) | 85 km (53 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
10 mins earlier Sep 21, 2024 07:16 (Makassar Time) | 37 km (23 mi) NE 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) | 19 km (12 mi) S 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.
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 6 km (4 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on August 28th, 2023.
In total, 198 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 18 days.
Tsunami very unlikely
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 (18 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 15/10/24 01:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000ntee
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240920_0000211
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
