Strong M6.1 earthquake hits Molucca Sea, Indonesia
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit the Molucca Sea, Indonesia at 10:09 UTC on June 3, 2021. The agency is reporting a depth of 31.2 km (10.4 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.1 at a depth of 40 km (24.8 miles).
The epicenter was located 127.5 km (79 miles) WSW of Ternate, North Maluku, and 194 km (121 miles) SE of Tondano, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
There are about 800 people living within 100 km (62 miles).
141 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
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.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules.