In the morning of Monday December 16th, 2024, a significant M5.1 earthquake hit in the Indian Ocean 69 kilometer from Padang, Indonesia.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Indian Ocean, 67 kilometers (42 mi) off the coast of Indonesia, 69 kilometer west-southwest of Padang in West Sumatra. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 62 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Dec 16, 2024 10:50 (Jakarta Time) - Dec 16, 2024 03:50 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 69 km WSW of Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Coordinates 1°11'48"S 99°47'11"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 48 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.082 . |
| Depth: | 62 km (39 mi) A quite 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 . Located 69 kilometer (43 mi) west-southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Padang (West Sumatra, Indonesia) is the nearest significant population center.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Padang is located 69 km to the east-northeast. Pekanbaru is located 265 km to the north-east. Payakumbuh is located 144 km to the north-east.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 69 km (43 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Padang West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 74 km (46 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Pariaman West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 106 km (66 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Solok West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 118 km (73 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Bukittinggi West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 143 km (89 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Sijunjung West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 144 km (89 mi) NE from epicenter |
Payakumbuh West Sumatra, Indonesia. |
| 202 km (126 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Sungai Penuh Jambi, Indonesia. |
| 265 km (165 mi) NE from epicenter |
Pekanbaru Riau, Indonesia. |
| 292 km (181 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Padangsidempuan North Sumatra, Indonesia. |
3 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 3 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 4.6 magnitude earthquake hit 3 days later 93 km (58 mi) west-northwest of this earthquake.
In the days before this main shock, 1 smaller foreshock was detected. Roughly 1 hr before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-3.2 was detected nearby this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.2 |
1 hr earlier Dec 16, 2024 09:30 (Jakarta Time) | 74 km (46 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Dec 16, 2024 10:50 (Jakarta Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 3.9 |
20 hrs later Dec 17, 2024 07:16 (Jakarta Time) | 88 km (55 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.1 |
3 days later Dec 19, 2024 07:18 (Jakarta Time) | 49 km (31 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.6 |
3 days later Dec 19, 2024 08:17 (Jakarta Time) | 93 km (58 mi) WNW 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. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since June 5th, 2024, when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 291 km (181 mi) further south-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on April 24th, 2023.
In total, 73 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 62 km (39 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 21/12/24 03:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nz6g
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241216_0000042
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
