In the Maluku Sea 179 kilometer from Manado, Indonesia, a shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake occurred in the evening of Tuesday November 12th, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Maluku Sea, 142 kilometers (88 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 179 kilometer east-southeast of Manado in North Sulawesi. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 18 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Nov 12, 2024 18:24 (Jayapura Time) - Nov 12, 2024 09:24 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 179 km ESE of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Coordinates 0°34'60"N 126°10'58"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 13 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.086 . |
| Depth: | 18 km (11 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 . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Ternate in North Maluku, Indonesia. Ternate is located 136 kilometer (85 mi) west of the epicenter.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 136 km (85 mi) E from epicenter |
Ternate North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 154 km (96 mi) E from epicenter |
Sofifi North Maluku, Indonesia. |
| 162 km (101 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Tondano North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 174 km (108 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Tomohon North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
| 179 km (111 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Manado North Sulawesi, Indonesia. |
4 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 4 smaller aftershocks. Just 3 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.6 was detected 55 km (34 mi) east-southeast of this earthquake.
Before this earthquake struck, 2 smaller foreshocks occurred. Roughly 1 day before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
1 day earlier Nov 11, 2024 07:14 (Jayapura Time) | 71 km (44 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 4.0 |
1 day earlier Nov 11, 2024 11:19 (Jayapura Time) | 31 km (19 mi) NNE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Nov 12, 2024 18:24 (Jayapura Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.4 |
1 day later Nov 14, 2024 06:11 (Jayapura Time) | 86 km (53 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
3 days later Nov 15, 2024 07:33 (Jayapura Time) | 84 km (52 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
3 days later Nov 15, 2024 11:08 (Jayapura Time) | 55 km (34 mi) ESE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 2.9 |
3 days later Nov 15, 2024 15:33 (Jayapura Time) | 71 km (44 mi) E from Main Shock. |
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.
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).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 November 1st, 2024, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 130 km (81 mi) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck on July 14th, 2019.
In total, 146 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 25 days.
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 18 km (11 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 19/11/24 09:58 (). 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 us7000nrbx
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241112_0000105
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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