Shallow M6.0 earthquake hits near the south coast of Papua, Indonesia

A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit near the south coast of Papua, Indonesia at 17:46 UTC on November 10, 2021. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 5 km (3.1 miles).

The epicenter was located about 185 km (115 miles) SW of Nabire and 210 km (130 miles) NE of Tual, Indonesia.

There are 30 000 people living within 100 km (62 miles) of the epicenter.

134 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking.

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, fires, and liquefaction that might have contributed to losses.

Image credit: TW/SAM, Google

Regional seismicity

Featured image credit: TW/SAM, Google