On Monday Afternoon a Shallow M5.8 Earthquake struck in the Maluku Sea 292km from Ambon (Indonesia).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 21st, 2024. Last updated December 19th, 2024.

Around noon of Monday October 21st, 2024, a shallow and significant MAG-5.8 earthquake hit in the Maluku Sea 292 kilometer from Ambon, Indonesia. Around 490 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, right off the coast of Indonesia (3 mi offshore), 292 kilometer north-northwest of Ambon in Maluku. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 16 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Oct 21, 2024 12:24 (Jayapura Time) - Oct 21, 2024 03:24 Universal Time.
Location:	292 km NNW of Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°10'30"S 127°27'31"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 32 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.055 .
Depth:	16 km (10 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 490 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 490 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

An estimated 4,450 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. The majority of people (roughly 270 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 . Sofifi in North Maluku, Indonesia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 213 kilometer (132 mi) south of Sofifi.

A complete list of nearby places is included below.

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

Shaking reported by 1 person

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in 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:

• Ternate, Maluku Utara, Indonesia: 1 person.

35 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 35 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 10 km (6 mi) north-northwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 3 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 5.7

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

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 September 11th, 2023, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 256 km (159 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on July 14th, 2019.

In total, 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 19/12/24 06:48 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000nzyn
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241021_0000018
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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