On Monday Afternoon a Shallow M5.7 Earthquake struck in the Maluku Sea 210km from Ternate (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 21st, 2024. Last updated November 20th, 2024.

In the Maluku Sea 210 kilometer from Ternate, Indonesia, a shallow and significant MAG-5.7 earthquake occurred in the afternoon of Monday October 21st, 2024. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 240 thousand people.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, right off the coast of Indonesia (9 mi offshore), 210 kilometer south of Ternate in North 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 15:32 (Jayapura Time) - Oct 21, 2024 06:32 Universal Time.
Location:	210 km south of Ternate, North Maluku, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°5'57"S 127°25'5"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 150 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.049 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 240 thousand people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 240 thousand have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Strong shaking and probably light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 730 people. At VI, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 150 thousand) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Indonesia .

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Indonesia . Located 205 kilometer (127 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Sofifi (North Maluku, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VI.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

34 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 34 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 8 km (5 mi) west of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 5 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 5.2

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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 October 21st, 2024, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 10 km (6 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on July 14th, 2019.

In total, 18 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 7 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

Sources

Last updated 20/11/24 10:48 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000p000
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241021_0000050
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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