A shallow and significant M5.2 aftershock struck in the Maluku Sea 300 kilometer from Ambon, Indonesia in the early afternoon of Monday October 21st, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, right off the coast of Indonesia (8 mi offshore), 300 kilometer north-northwest of Ambon in Maluku. 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: | Oct 21, 2024 13:12 (Jayapura Time) - Oct 21, 2024 04:12 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 300 km NNW of Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°6'17"S 127°26'2"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 14 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.083 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very 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 . Sofifi in North Maluku, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 205 kilometer (127 mi) south of Sofifi.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 205 km (127 mi) N from epicenter |
Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 211 km (131 mi) N from epicenter |
Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 298 km (185 mi) SE from epicenter |
Amahai Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 300 km (186 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Ambon Maluku, Indonesia. |
This is likely an aftershock
This earthquake is likely an aftershock of the MAG-5.8 earthquake that struck 48 mins earlier. That main earthquake hit 8 km (5 mi) south-southwest of the epicenter of this MAG-5.2 aftershock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock | M 5.8 |
Oct 21, 2024 12:24 (Jayapura Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.9 |
13 mins later Oct 21, 2024 12:37 (Jayapura Time) | 5 km (3 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.6 |
19 mins later Oct 21, 2024 12:42 (Jayapura Time) | 75 km (46 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
29 mins later Oct 21, 2024 12:53 (Jayapura Time) | 32 km (20 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
46 mins later Oct 21, 2024 13:10 (Jayapura Time) | 11 km (7 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
48 mins later Oct 21, 2024 13:12 (Jayapura Time) | 8 km (5 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
1 hr later Oct 21, 2024 13:42 (Jayapura Time) | 16 km (10 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.7 |
3 hrs later Oct 21, 2024 15:32 (Jayapura Time) | 8 km (5 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.2 |
4 hrs later Oct 21, 2024 16:06 (Jayapura Time) | 4 km (2.4 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.4 |
4 hrs later Oct 21, 2024 16:19 (Jayapura Time) | 76 km (47 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
4 hrs later Oct 21, 2024 16:30 (Jayapura Time) | 8 km (5 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.7 |
4 hrs later Oct 21, 2024 16:48 (Jayapura Time) | 19 km (12 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.2 |
5 hrs later Oct 21, 2024 17:02 (Jayapura Time) | 42 km (26 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
5 hrs later Oct 21, 2024 17:08 (Jayapura Time) | 14 km (9 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.0 |
5 hrs later Oct 21, 2024 17:15 (Jayapura Time) | 12 km (7 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.2 |
5 hrs later Oct 21, 2024 17:24 (Jayapura Time) | 2.9 km (1.8 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 5.0 |
5 hrs later Oct 21, 2024 17:35 (Jayapura Time) | 11 km (7 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.0 |
5 hrs later Oct 21, 2024 17:46 (Jayapura Time) | 19 km (11 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
7 hrs later Oct 21, 2024 19:41 (Jayapura Time) | 19 km (12 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.0 |
8 hrs later Oct 21, 2024 20:18 (Jayapura Time) | 13 km (8 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
12 hrs later Oct 22, 2024 00:15 (Jayapura Time) | 3 km (1.9 mi) S from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
13 hrs later Oct 22, 2024 01:47 (Jayapura Time) | 47 km (29 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
16 hrs later Oct 22, 2024 04:22 (Jayapura Time) | 3 km (2.1 mi) SSE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.5 |
19 hrs later Oct 22, 2024 07:33 (Jayapura Time) | 17 km (10 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.8 |
1 day later Oct 22, 2024 14:12 (Jayapura Time) | 19 km (12 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
1 day later Oct 22, 2024 18:30 (Jayapura Time) | 33 km (20 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.6 |
1 day later Oct 22, 2024 18:44 (Jayapura Time) | 19 km (12 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.9 |
1 day later Oct 22, 2024 21:48 (Jayapura Time) | 13 km (8 mi) NNW 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.
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. In total, 63 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 2 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 5.2. 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 22/10/24 18:38 (). 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 us6000nzzb
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241021_0000024
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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