In the Indian Ocean 118 kilometer from Port-aux-Français, French Southern Territories, an unusually powerful M5.2 earthquake occurred around noon of Saturday October 26th, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 70 kilometers (44 mi) off the coast of French Southern Territories, 118 kilometer south-southwest of Port-aux-Français in Kerguelen. 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 26, 2024 12:23 (Kerguelen Time) - Oct 26, 2024 07:23 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 118 km SSW of Port-aux-Français, Kerguelen, French Southern Territories. Coordinates 50°15'30"S 69°22'39"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 54 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.078 . |
| 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 French Southern Territories . Located 118 kilometer (73 mi) south-southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Port-aux-Français (Kerguelen, French Southern Territories) is the nearest significant population center.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 118 km (73 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Port-aux-Français Kerguelen, French Southern Territories. |
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 French Southern Territories.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Port-aux-Français, Kerguelen, French Southern Territories: 1 person.
Risk of aftershocks?
We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
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).This is an unusually powerful earthquake
No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 5.2 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.
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 20/11/24 10:08 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nnai
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241026_0000051
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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