Strong and shallow M6.3 earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia
Image credit: Google, TW/SAM
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 hit Papua, Indonesia at 17:24 UTC on June 19, 2019 (02:24 LT, June 20). The agency is reporting a depth of 12.1 km (7.5 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.3 at a depth of 2 km (1.2 miles).
The epicenter was located 251 km (156 miles) W of Abepura (population 62 248), and 259 km (161 miles) W of Jayapura (population 134 895), Papua, Indonesia.
There are 150 000 people living within 100 km (62 miles).
7 000 people are estimated to have felt strong shaking, 44 000 moderate and 237 000 light.
There are no reports of damage.
The USGS issued a green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are unreinforced brick with concrete floor and precast concrete frame with wall construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides and fires that might have contributed to losses.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
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