M4.8 Earthquake near Simeulue, Indonesia — April 28, 2023
2023-04-28 20:46:34 UTC (2023-04-28) · approx. 2:46 AM UTC+6 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.
On April 28, 2023 at 20:46 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck near Simeulue, Indonesia, at a depth of 35.5 km and coordinates 2.5502°, 96.6329°. This earthquake was detected by 85 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 355, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Indonesia, a region characterized by the convergence of the Indo-Australian, Eurasian, and Philippine Sea plates, forming the Sunda-Banda arc system. The nearest mapped fault system is the Sunda megathrust. View all earthquakes in Indonesia.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 1 citizen response to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
96.6329°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Simeulue, Indonesia?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck near Simeulue, Indonesia on April 28, 2023 at 20:46 UTC had a depth of 35.5 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 2.5502°, 96.6329°, which is near Simeulue, Indonesia. View all earthquakes in Indonesia.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has Indonesia had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Indonesia was the M9.1 Indian Ocean earthquake of December 26, 2004. Today's magnitude 4.8 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000jwt8). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, April 28, 2023). M4.8 Earthquake near Simeulue, Indonesia — April 28, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000jwt8/