M5.2 Earthquake near Banda Sea — December 17, 2024
2024-12-17 21:41:09 UTC (2024-12-17) · approx. 6:41 AM UTC+9 local
On December 17, 2024 at 21:41 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 intermediate depth earthquake struck near Banda Sea, at a depth of 128.8 km and coordinates -6.7821°, 130.2227°. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 94 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 416, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 951 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.3 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 104,289 |
Earthquake Details
130.2227°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Banda Sea?
The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck near Banda Sea on December 17, 2024 at 21:41 UTC had a depth of 128.8 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -6.7821°, 130.2227°, which is near Banda Sea.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.2 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000nzn6). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, December 17, 2024). M5.2 Earthquake near Banda Sea — December 17, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000nzn6/