In the morning of Saturday October 12th, 2024, a significant MAG-5.2 earthquake hit in the Maluku Sea 179 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 91 kilometers (57 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 179 kilometer south of Manado in North Sulawesi. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 48 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Oct 12, 2024 09:11 (Makassar Time) - Oct 12, 2024 01:11 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 179 km south of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 0°7'16"N 125°1'25"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 88 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.061 . |
| Depth: | 48 km (30 mi) A quite 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 159 kilometer (99 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Tondano (North Sulawesi, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Manado is located 179 km to the north. Gorontalo is located 230 km to the west-northwest. Ternate is located 281 km to the east-northeast.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 159 km (99 mi) N from epicenter |
Tondano North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 162 km (101 mi) N from epicenter |
Tomohon North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 179 km (111 mi) N from epicenter |
Manado North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 230 km (143 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Gorontalo Gorontalo, Indonesia. |
| 265 km (165 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Luwuk Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 281 km (175 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 298 km (185 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia. |
Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. Just 12 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-3.4 was detected 48 km (30 mi) west of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Oct 12, 2024 09:11 (Makassar Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
12 hrs later Oct 12, 2024 21:21 (Makassar Time) | 48 km (30 mi) W 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 happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since September 23rd, 2024, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 235 km (146 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on November 14th, 2019.
In total, 118 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 month.
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 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 48 km (30 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 15/10/24 00:48 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000ny7w
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241012_0000009
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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