A significant M5.3 earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean 115 kilometer from Banda Aceh, Indonesia in the afternoon of Sunday October 13th, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 103 kilometers (64 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 115 kilometer west of Banda Aceh in Aceh. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 55 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Oct 13, 2024 14:01 (Jakarta Time) - Oct 13, 2024 07:01 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 115 km west of Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia. Coordinates 5°23'42"N 94°18'9"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.3 Detected by 8 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.11 . |
| Depth: | 55 km (34 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 115 kilometer (71 mi) west of the epicenter of this earthquake, Banda Aceh (Aceh, Indonesia) 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 |
|---|---|
| 115 km (71 mi) E from epicenter |
Banda Aceh Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 125 km (78 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Sabang Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 184 km (114 mi) E from epicenter |
Sigli Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 220 km (137 mi) E from epicenter |
Reuleuet Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 245 km (152 mi) SE from epicenter |
Meulaboh Aceh, Indonesia. |
| 266 km (165 mi) E from epicenter |
Bireun Aceh, Indonesia. |
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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, 2022, when a 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit 262 km (163 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on November 8th, 2015.
In total, 27 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.3 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 5 months.
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 55 km (34 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 15/10/24 23:38 (). 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 us6000nyee
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241013_0000081
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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