Shallow M6.2 earthquake hits East Timor region
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
A shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.2 hit East Timor region at 02:36 UTC on May 27, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 49 km (30 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.3 at a depth of 60 km (37 miles).
The epicenter was located 38.2 km (23.7 miles) NE of Lospalos (population 17 186), 86.4 km (53.7 miles) ENE of Baukau (population 16 000), and 101.2 km (62.9 miles) ENE of Venilale (population 16 000), Timor Leste.
There are about 220 000 people living within 100 km (62 miles).
25 000 people are estimated to have felt strong shaking, 73 000 moderate, and 804 000 light
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 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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